When Four Winds Blow
by Seena58
Summary: A year has passed, the Flame saved. But when Riku returns, someone doesn't want them to have a happy ending... Another dimension, another world. Saving the Balance may be the only way to save them. Sequel to Flames of Time. DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue: Time Passed

Disclaimers: I never owned this. Or did I? Well, I own my own characters and I'm sure that the idea's mine, but you never know... oh well, let's get this started, shall we?

() Daisuke

(()) Dark

:: Satoshi

:::: Krad

'' normal characters thoughts

---------------------------

Prologue: Time Passed – A Letter Came

---------------------------

Daisuke Niwa yawned as he got out of the warm covers of his bed. As he rubbed his eyes slowly, he tried to get his mind to function properly. As he sat there in a daze, though, strange scene lit up to him: a river flowing gently off into the distance, lush green grass, the sound of people's voices happily floating around him and...

A calling voice carried by a breeze that swept past.

The young boy inclined his head at this, confused but not worried. After a few minutes of contemplation – which led to more confusion – he heaved himself out of bed and went to the cupboard.

"Kyu!" crowed With, his pet, as it wriggled out of the folds of his blankets.

"Are you coming today With?" asked Daisuke as he pulled the uniform on and picked up his school bag. The creature 'kyu'-ed again in approval and leapt onto his head as a reply.

Shaking his head and smiling, the redhead made his way down the stairs, where his mother greeted him.

"You're up early today, Dai-chan!" she called as he embraced him affectionately.

"Yeah..." Daisuke wriggled out of her grasp and went into the kitchen, where breakfast was already ready. His father and Grandfather greeted him as well and he nodded.

"Oh, Dai-chan--" began Emiko as she joined them, but was cut short as the News on the TV in the living room floated in on the three people seated around the table.

"_Tomorrow night, the Phantom Thief Dark will be making another appearance--" _the reported began to rant on about the details, but Daisuke was no longer paying any attention.

"Did you forget to tell me again?" he demanded, trying – and failing – to look a bit more threatening. He merely frowned at his mother, who smiled in reply.

"I guess that just slipped my mind," without waiting for a reply, Emiko held out a white envelope, "And this just came in the mail for you, Dai-chan. From Riku-chan."

"Riku-san?!" forgetting that he was annoyed with her, Daisuke jumped up and took the envelope she offered him. Opening it, he scanned the letter briefly before smiling.

Emiko grinned, "So, Daisuke, when are they returning?"

He blushed slightly before replying, "Tomorrow afternoon."

"Ah! We have to be ready then!" his mother jumped up excitedly and ran up the stairs, "You just go to school then!"

"... Okay..." Daisuke sighed.

"Take care," his father called.

"I will," replied the redhead as he left the house. Once he was out of Niwa property, he called to Dark, who had been snoring the entire time.

(Dark! Guess what?)

((... Wha? The sky's fallen down?))

(No... Riku-san is coming back!)

((Really?))

It was exactly a year since the Harada twins had moved to America for personal family reasons and Daisuke was practically jumping from joy at the news.

Catching sight of someone in front of him, the redhead called.

"Takada-san!"

Akane Takada had been a new student, transferred to the school and had more secrets than most of the student body altogether. Her hair, which was about the same shade as Daisuke's, had grown longer over the past year, but her eyes continued to glow with fiery determination that never seemed to die. She was also the Time Keeper and watched over the Flames of Time.

Because she had both the blood of the Niwa and Hikari clans, Akane possessed the power to watch over the spirits of the Thirteen Elements and even befriended them, with the help of both Daisuke and Satoshi during their attempt to save the Flame.

That had been a year ago, of course, and she was now only thought of as a good friend of Daisuke's, and that was all that mattered.

"Niwa-kun, morning," Akane turned and smiled, "You seem awfully cheerful today."

"Yeah, Riku-san and Harada-san are returning soon!"

"Really?" at this, she frowned slightly, "When?"

"Tomorrow afternoon!" Daisuke stopped for a moment when he noticed that his friend seemed fairly concerned rather than pleased, "... Is something wrong?"

"Ah! No... nothing's wrong," she replied hurriedly, "It's just that Dark has a job tomorrow as well, right?"

"Yeah..."

They both fell silent for a moment, as if wondering how to continue the rather awkward situation.

"Niwa-kun..." started Akane as they reached the gates to the school, "Is it okay if I come with you to meet them? You know, welcome them back?"

"Wha?" Daisuke looked up, surprised at the sudden question.

"You're going to meet them there, of course," she smiled slightly and he nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"Of course you can!"

"Okay."

They both entered the classroom and went to their set seats; Akane in the front row, while the redhead was a few rows back. Once Daisuke was on his own again, he couldn't help but call to Dark.

(Takada-san doesn't seem that enthusiastic...)

((Maybe she's sick.))

(... You're no help...)

((Zzz...))

Akane inclined her head as she went over the pieces of information she had just received and couldn't help but touch the pendant she wore at all times for reassurance.

'Hm...'

###

"Will it be ready soon?"

"_Soon? Yes, master."_

"When can we have it up and running by?"

"_Tomorrow."_

---------------------------

A bit odd, but... there you go! The first of FWB! Sequel to FoT! I know it's a bit weird at the moment, I thrive on that, you know? And, uh... we'll just go on and see what happens! I'm sure you'll be surprised! Ahaha...

Please review and at least attempt to read FoT before this, since I don't wanna go on and on about the same characters, y'know? And I have to thank everyone who reviewed FoT! My first fanfic and, uh... it bombed out with nothing for a while. Eh. Well, 'till next time!

8/10/04: Happy birthday me and anyone else with the same date! Yay! I started this on my B'day! Let's see how long it takes to finish this one!


	2. Chapter 1: To Know or Not to Know

Well, uh... here's chapter one. It's more of a filler chapter than anything else, ya know? I mean... I just had to write something about that day 'cause the real troubles starts the day after. Yeah, we all know that this is boooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg... okay, more me thinking it's boring more than... whatever. I've lost my chain of thought now. Ugh...

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Chapter 1: To Know or Not to Know

-------------------

The rest of the school day seemed fairly passive that day, with the exception of Takeshi and some of the rowdier students, that were just like that all the time.

"DAISUKE!"

"Eh?" Daisuke turned as he name was practically bellowed from the other side of the room, where Takeshi stood, grinning mischievously. The redhead frowned at this, noticing the warning signs of when his best friend was about to ask – or do – something stupid.

"Yeah?" he finally replied, walking over to the raven-haired boy, who instantly caught him in a headlock. "SAEHARA!"

He struggled for a moment or two, but Takeshi kept his grip on the boy, still grinning.

"C'mon! You can tell me!"

"Wha?!"

"You're not yourself, Daisuke!" his friend insisted, tightening his grip and making the redhead struggle for air more so. "So tell your best friend what's going on!"

"Nothing's going on!" Daisuke spluttered as he gasped for air. "Let me go already!"

"No can do 'till you tell me--" Takeshi started in a sing-song voice.

"Boys! Stop that right now!"

Both boys froze at the sound of a sharp female's voice, and Takeshi let go of Daisuke, who was now recovering much needed air. They both turned to see the young educator glaring at them with such irritation that they might as well have dropped dead there and then.

"May I ask what you were doing?" she demanded, while the rest of the class – who were sitting down in their respected seats – watched the scenario with interest.

"Um..." Daisuke started nervously, not used to teachers being angry at him.

"He won't tell me what's going on!" cut in Takeshi, pointing an accusing finger at the redhead, "And I asked him politely."

At this, the class began to mutter among themselves, having seen the situation firsthand.

"Yeah right."

"Got him to come over and nearly choked him to death."

"How does Niwa-kun stand such torture?"

"Well, they are best friends."

"Class!" shrieked the teacher impatiently. They fell silent once more, and she placed both hands on her hips and glared at the raven-haired boy, her foot tapping against the hard floor.

"Saehara-kun. You started this?" she asked softly, but had a hint of danger mixed with it. The rest of the class seemed apprehensive, but Takeshi merely shrugged before replying.

"I was just jokin' around."

Almost everyone stopped breathing at his answer, knowing what was going to happen next...

"OUT!"

Getting herself into a rage that couldn't be matched – except with Krad, the redhead decided – she began to tell his best friend off. As each line went one octave higher, he found himself conversing with his other half; not because he wanted to in particular – since Dark was asleep most of the time – but because the Thief started the conversation. This startled Daisuke.

((That's one scary lady... but not that bad looking, if you know what I mean.))

(You're awake?) Daisuke gulped.

((Her voice woke me up,)) huffed Dark. ((Was he trying to choke you to death again? My my, Dai-chan, one day you have to tell him to stop doing that.))

(He doesn't listen, even when I tell him!) protested the redhead.

((Must be 'cause you're too cute to be scared of.))

(WHAT?!)

Dark laughed.

"Niwa-kun."

"Eh?" jerked out of his conversation he looked up to see the teacher looking over in his direction. It was only then did he notice that Takeshi was no longer standing next to him, and that she seemed more composed than before.

Like Dark had said, their English teacher wasn't that bad looking, until her temper got the best of her. A select number of male students were taller than her, but she was well built in stature and had a neat crop of light brown hair. Her eyes – when she wasn't angry – were also brown in shad and usually radiated a neutral feeling to the classroom. Her attitude was fairer compared to other teachers, and she believed as long as one encouraged the student, then they would try harder, which they did.

But whenever her temper got the better of her...

"You can take your seat now," she said calmly, not looking the least angry. "And we can begin our lessons now."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry about that," Daisuke bowed slightly before sliding back to his desk. The rest of the class were murmuring among themselves about what she had done with Takeshi – making it sound like she killed him on the guillotine or had put him on the rack – before returning to their exercise books.

"Now, from where we left off last lesson," the teacher started briskly, "Kusao-san, would you care to start?"

The student in question stood up, cleared his throat slightly, and began to speak.

---

"Niwa-kun, are you alright?"

"Hm?" Daisuke turned.

Classes had finished for the time being and most students were making their way to the outside world for lunch. With, who had been wandering around the school, entered the classroom and jumped onto his master's head, 'kyu'-ing happily and the redhead patted him unconsciously before he was interrupted by the question.

Akane was currently standing by his desk – unnoticed because he had been looking outside and With was with him – and she inclined her head as she repeated her question.

"I asked if you were alright."

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, embarrassed for not paying attention. "I guess I've just been really preoccupied with all this stuff, so..."

"Of course," she nodded in understanding. "Many things are happening, aren't they? Makes you wonder a bit..."

"What?" he blinked.

Akane shook her head slightly, "It's nothing to worry about, Niwa-kun. Well, I better go or Mina-chan and the others are going to worry a bit. See you."

"Yeah..."

Daisuke watched as she left, confused with her attitude and what she was saying. True, she did have an odd past – being stuck in a prison for thousands of years and forced to watch the world go on without her – and she seemed to have many secrets that she didn't tell them. But he trusted her judgement and it was clear that something didn't seem right.

((Why aren't you sitting outside and eating?)) Dark inquired, seemingly waking up from his sleep.

(... I dunno,) the redhead sighed. (Takada-san has been really weird, like...)

((More weird than usual,)) concluded his other half. ((Are you saying that the world's gonna explode soon?))

(Almost like she knows something but won't tell us.)

((Don't worry yourself with it,)) Dark said decisively. ((Just go outside already. I don't like it when you're this serious.))

(Towa-chan told me that once...) a thin laugh escaped Daisuke as he left the empty classroom.

As he wandered outside, his mind went back to the letter and the last time he had actually seen Riku. As the thought processed through, he couldn't help but miss her more than usual, and she was close to returning.

But with Akane's current mood...

((You'll know when it happens.))

(I guess...)

---

She didn't know what to think as she wandered out onto the school roof. Something definitely wasn't right, and she could feel it inside of her. Still... she didn't want Daisuke to worry, but her mind nagged her to tell him before it was too late.

"What are you doing up here?"

Akane turned her head slightly as she returned Satoshi's calculating look before answering. "Is there a problem to going up here? Or do I need to ask for your permission?" she asked teasingly, unable to help herself.

The blue-haired boy frowned. "You never come up here unless something's wrong," he stated.

"Hm... if that's so, you don't need to know," she replied. "Most of my concerns aren't yours."

"Does it have anything to do with Niwa?" Satoshi asked in a neutral voice, not bothering to eat his lunch.

"That is yet to be seen."

At this, the blue-haired boy stood up. Akane was leaning over the rail, her hair being blown by a non-existent wind, and he knew at once that something wasn't right: her voice had been lower, darker somehow and more mysterious, like when she was pretending to be 'Scarlet'. Satoshi leaned over slightly to see her face, and her eyes were hooded over and glazed, like she was in a trance of some sort.

And she holding the pendant of the Thirteen Elements.

This surprised him somewhat, since it had been over a year since he had seen the necklace, and she had mentioned that as long as everything was fine, there wouldn't be a need to use it.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"Trouble is stirring in another dimension, another world," Akane replied, still in her trance, the necklace glowing slightly. "It is getting ready to take over again. Ready to cause destruction and pain to everything it touches... The powers are fading and they cannot fight back..."

The necklace stopped glowing and she blinked, her eyes returning to its usual shade of red, and she turned to Satoshi.

"What's wrong, Hiwatari-kun?"

"You don't remember?" the blue-haired boy raised an eyebrow and Akane frowned at this, still fingering the pendant. After a moment of silence, she finally seemed to understand.

"... Raine," she finally muttered. "Obviously she knows what's going on, but to do that to me..."

"They're a part of you, aren't they?" Satoshi seemed fairly amused at this, and her frown deepened slightly.

"Well, clearly you know that much," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "But everyone in this world has at least some elements in them, even if they don't know it. Niwa-kun has Fire like you have Ice and they grow in you as you get stronger."

He frowned, "What about you?"

"Mine's undecided," Akane replied. "Until I get the truth out of Celes, I won't truly know. Everything's in perfect balance at the moment, so I can't tell."

"Hmph."

They both fell silent for a while, noticing the dark clouds that began to overtake the blue sky. Before long droplets of water hit the school roof and grounds.

"..."

"... Something just doesn't feel right..."

"Whatever," Satoshi made his way to the door and turned. "Are you going to stay out there and get wet?"

"Well, it won't be raining tomorrow," Akane decided, talking more to herself than to Satoshi. She turned and followed the blue-haired boy back into the cover of the school building, completely oblivious to his suspicious glares, and trailed off into a classroom, where she was greeted by her friends.

:... Something isn't right,: decided Satoshi. :But what we don't know yet. But if it has anything to do with Niwa...:

He shrugged it off before wandering off; unable to get the answers he wanted.

---

(Rain?) Daisuke looked up at the cloudy gray sky.

((Yes, rain,)) replied Dark sarcastically. ((You know, water from the sky, perhaps? That gets you really wet and may possibly give you an illness due to it?))

(That's not what I meant, Dark,) the redhead sighed, sometimes unable to cope with his other half's odd humor. (But it just came so suddenly, that's all... isn't it a bit strange?)

((Sure it is, Dai-chan. Now get inside before you get sick,)) the Thief yawned, ((Well, I'm off to sleep now. Later.))

Blocking out the insanely loud sounds of Dark's snoring, Daisuke began to make his way across the school grounds and into the shade of the building. Most students had shut themselves into various classrooms, talking among themselves or creating havoc, but the redhead – still confused with the strange weather patterns – wandered around the levels aimlessly, not wanting to talk to Takeshi after what happened in the English class.

(But the weather was fine in the morning,) he told himself. (So why would it start to rain now, for no apparent reason?)

"Niwa?"

"Gah! Hi-Hiwatari-kun?" taken by surprise, Daisuke spun around so rapidly he ended up losing his balance and falling on the cold floor with a slight thud.

While the redhead blushed - in embarrassment more than pain because he'd been taken by surprise by a person he considered a friend – Satoshi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the reaction.

"Did I cut you short from a conversation with Dark?" he finally asked.

Daisuke got up, brushing himself off while mumbling an apology and answer, "Ah, sorry about that and I wasn't talking to Dark. He's gone to sleep."

"Ah..."

"Is something wrong?" having recovered, the redhead blinked at the taller boy in question, only then noticing the strange signs that something wasn't right.

"Takada has been acting strangely lately," Satoshi stated. "And I was wondering if you're involved with it somehow."

"I don't think so," Daisuke frowned at this. "But she did begin to act strange when I told her Riku-san was returning with the rest of her family tomorrow afternoon."

"Dark has a job tomorrow night, doesn't he?"

"Yeah..." at this, the shorter boy became wary, wondering which direction the conversation was now leading to.

"Maybe it has something to do with that."

"Eh?"

Before anymore could be said between the two boys, the school bell rang and they made their way silently down the hallway until they reached the classroom door.

(Something to do with that?) wondered Daisuke. (First Takada-san and now Hiwatari-kun... why can't I ever get a straight answer?)

Knowing that Dark wasn't going to reply, the redhead made his was to his seat and sat down and got ready for another lesson.

###

"Is anything going to happen tomorrow that I should know?"

"_Well, there is Phantom Thief Dark's appearance."_

"Dark, huh... from the Niwa bloodline?"

"_The very one."_

"But of course..."

There was a moment of silence.

"Will he be the only one there?"

"_Yes. And the Hikari boy will be there as well."_

"And her?"

"_There is no doubt in that."_

"And it will be ready by tomorrow night, then?"

"_We are certain of that."_

"So, then..."

A thin laugh echoed through the room.

"This is perfect..."

-------------------

Honestly, who isn't confused? My writing's gone psycho, so expect some weird styles of writing or whatever you want to call it, but maybe it also has something to do with school starting again. –bangs head- Oh well, at least this's done.

Oh, and I know that Akane seems to take the spotlight at the moment, but, really, I'm writing on impulse more than anything else right now. I've got everything planned out, but... I don't think it wants to cooperate with me. Hm... Well, let's just go on now, shall we?

-- Talkback!

-Staryday: Clearly no one cares 'bout me... ah well, I'm gonna do this anyway. No one's gonna stop me anyway. And rant all you want... look how much I did on your ones! Ah! I can't believe that I could ramble so much! Whoo! I guess it doesn't matter whether or not they review this, but it gives me some indication that people are reading it and liking it... I hope. You never know with people out there. And this time I'm hoping to get to the proper points of this story without all the mist and mystery covering it and confusing everyone. Okay, no mist and the odd mystery here and there. All the while, I'll just keep on confusing people, so that's good, right? Yeah, it's all good. Well, thanks for the review!


	3. Chapter 2: Welcoming Back

WOW! I acutally got two full reviews! I am so happy, ya know!!!!!!! Well, in a way it was three, counting the one with FoT, but I'm still a bit... happy... ya.................. (awkward silence)

Anyway, I actually got this chapter done, don't know about it, odd, I think, but not insanely confusing. It's a way to welcome back some old-spirits! Let's go already!

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Chapter 2: Welcoming Back

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The sound of the school bell jerked Daisuke out of his confused stupor and instantly made his way towards the footlockers, his bag slung over his shoulder. By the time he had reached the entrance to the school building, there were very few students left lingering around, talking among themselves. The redhead ignored them, mind in turmoil, as he pulled on his shoes and left the premises without another glance.

(Why can't I just stop thinking about this?) he asked himself as he started his way back home. (And just after I got a letter from Riku-san as well...)

"Kyu!" With called happily. "Kyu kyu kyu!"

"With, what is it this time?" Daisuke couldn't help but smile as his pet hopped on top of his head hyperactively. "What's going on with you?"

"Kyu kyu!!"

"Ugh..."

"_Many things are happening, aren't they?"_

(Why can't I just forget what Takada-san said? But whenever she tells us something important... there's just so much on the line at the moment... Riku-san...)

Dejected and incredibly confused, the redhead made his way home, unaware that, once more, one particular person was watching him; who still clutched the pendant of the Thirteen Elements.

Akane shook her head, almost as confused as him, as she went off in another direction, deciding that speaking to Celes – the Priestess – was the only option left.

This did mean that she would have to return to the void dimension, though.

---

When Satoshi arrived at the museum, it was already swarming with police officers. He contained a snort of contempt for the fools.

Dark couldn't be caught be any 'normal' method the entire police force knew of, and after so many encounters with the Phantom Thief, it was just pathetic.

The blue-haired boy broke out of his thoughts as he saw Takeshi's father approach him, looking fairly confident. The old man began to ramble on about how the artwork would be safe, but Satoshi didn't even try to listen: Krad was talking to him.

::I won't let Dark get away this time.::

:Leave me alone.:

::Still remembering the time when you were with the lovely Wing Master alone? Don't think that I'm going to let it happen again, Satoshi-sama.::

:You'll never change, will you, Krad?: Satoshi snapped back impatiently, :Even after all that we had to go through with Niwa and Dark, and still you--:

::That is the reason for my existence,:: replied the sadistic blonde coolly, like everything he did was normal and no-one had the right to judge him: not even his dear host.

:Don't talk to me.:

Satoshi shut his mind off from Krad, as the still-homicidal blonde continued to talk about how much fun it would be to kill the Phantom Thief and his host. The way he was describing it was rather disturbing as well.

When the blue-haired boy finally pulled out of his stupor, he noticed that he was alone again – seemingly the inspector had other things to do and was off attending to them. Not that it really mattered.

He wandered down the hallways and corridors of the different rooms, his footsteps echoing eerily in the silence that filled it. Satoshi's gaze fell onto the various artworks that hung from the walls, not really seeing them, but still looking. Very few artworks possessed magic anymore, many destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, and it was a wonder that any survived at all.

Akane had said that their powers never faded, but he still couldn't work out how she was supposed to know that part of it. Her answer had been rather crude, to say the least:

"As long as they don't need me, I need not know."

He frowned at this, finally stopping at the artwork that had been said to be stolen that night. Even then, he wasn't paying too much attention to it, wondering what Akane had been going on about, and what Daisuke's fate would turn out to be.

Of course, until Akane spoke – or someone else – they wouldn't know the answers until it was too late.

---

Akane stepped through the portal calmly, brushing back stray hairs as she did so. She was greeted with the sounds of dim chanting, and instantly summoned a small light to guide her through the darkness that always surrounded the void.

The entire hadn't changed since she had last been there: a year back, when she was forced into hiding and, what they called it, 'duty'. Her eyes were only half-focused on what was before her, before stepping up until she reached the person who was chanting. In a flurry of robes, the person didn't stop, still kneeling, hands clasped in front of her. Although she was chanting in another language, Akane could understand everything she said.

"—seek peace in the worlds, please, my faith lies in you--"

"Praying to the spirits again, Celes?" she asked calmly, although she knew that the Priestess wouldn't be happy to be disturbed. As she expected, Celes' first reaction was to jerk out of her chant and glare at whom had disturbed her.

"A-Akane... I did not think that you would be visiting," she said in a voice of obvious forced calm. Akane chose to ignore this fact, since Celes was more of an emotional person, and joined the much older woman into a crouching position.

"Why would you be calling to the spirits unless something was wrong?" she asked, not bothering to meet the other's gaze.

"I... I do not know what you are talking about," Celes replied, although she looked far from it.

"Something is being aroused," continued Akane, not listening to Celes' futile form of trying to pacify her words. "A darker shadow is overwhelming us again... it's trying to swallow us whole... or at least, trying to destroy the bond between the clans again."

"Akane... Scarlet... you must not..."

"Don't call me Scarlet..." she hissed slightly, eyes narrowing dangerously, "That's what... he called me... and thought that he could use me. Not that I would ever let him."

"Please... you must understand."

"Do you know anything about this?" Akane finally turned her head so that their eyes locked. Celes blinked, her eyes filled with knowing something, but not wanting to admit it.

"I cannot say anything at the moment, Akane. Please, I need to be alone... praying is all I have left now..."

"... You'll never change, will you, Celes." Akane got up, shook her head in disapproval before she swept into the portal and was swallowed whole.

Celes didn't move from her postion as she continued to kneel, her hands folded in her lap, mind fighting with her. "Akane... how is it already..."

---

"Dai-chan! How about this one?!" squealed Emiko as she sought through a rather large – if not monstrous – pile of clothing that belonged to the redhead.

"Muuuu-----m!" he yelled back, "I don't care what I have to wear, but we'll be late if we keep going on like this!"

"But this one is so much more elegant!" his mother replied excitedly, "And you know that you have to make a good impression for Riku-chan! It has been a year, remember?"

"Of course I remember, but--"

"DAI-CHAN. WEAR IT."

Just as the door to Daisuke's room closed shut, the doorbell rang. After exchanging a slightly confused look with her husband, Emiko ran off to answer it: since Towa was busy with some of the house chores that had been provided by the mother's search for clothes for her son.

She opened the door a crack and caught sight of red hair before pulling it wide open.

"Akane-chan! I didn't expect you coming around to visit for awhile!" she said cheerfully, allowing the girl to enter. Akane inclined her head slightly before smiling in reply.

"Well, since Niwa-kun told me about Riku-chan and Risa-chan returning..." she started simply, "I thought it would be a great chance to meet up with them as well."

"How about I get you something to wear then?" offered Emiko, obviously looking forward to another model. Akane shook her head and tugged at the edge of her jacket.

"No thank you, Mrs. Niwa, I think I'm okay with what I've got on," she replied calmly, well aware of Daisuke's mother's personality and somewhat crazy obsession with clothes.

"Ah... I guess you're right," the older female gave Akane's frame a calculating look, "I don't think that anything I have at the moment would fit you anyway..."

"Ah..." she started, somewhat nervously, but was spared a reply as Daisuke came back, still complaining about what he had been forced to wear despite his own protests.

"Why can't I just wear something normal for once and--" he stopped in mid-complaint, "Takada-san... hi."

"A bit flashy, huh?" she asked innocently as she took a look at what Daisuke was wearing and was well aware that Dark was most likely laughing his head off in the redhead's mind. "What do you think Riku-chan will have to say about that?"

He blushed at the thought. "Um..."

"If we're going to go, then let's go!" Emiko cut in excitedly as the other males of the Niwa household left the building. She was pulling on a coat while pushing both Akane and Daisuke out the front door, With attached to the redhead.

They piled into the car and Kosuke got the engine started. While this was happening, Daisuke happened to notice that Akane seemed to have gone off the deep end and was wearing black. He blinked at this, since she was almost never seen with such dark colours, and was slightly unnerved by it.

"Takada-san..." he started hesitantly. She turned to meet his gaze, face looking innocently puzzled. "Um... what influenced your dress style today...?"

"Oh, this?" she tugged at the hem of her jacket non-commently. "I couldn't find anything else, you know, and this was the last thing I had..."

"..."

"The first thing I want to see is you and Riku-chan together again," she added, smiling. Daisuke blushed at this and ducked his head as he spoke to Dark instead.

(She's saying weird things.)

((I've noticed,)) agreed his other half, ((But it would be nice to see Riku and Risa again, you have to agree on that.))

(Guess you're right.)

He turned his head slightly to see what Akane was doing, but her gaze was directed outside at the bright colours that flashed past them as the car sped on, only stopping at odd intervals when the traffic lights went red. She fiddled with something that circled around her neck, but made no contact with the still nervous redhead.

Emiko, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the tension at the back of the car as she suddenly directed her attention towards the silent teens.

"It's been a whole year now, hasn't it?" she asked in a polite conversational tone. "Of course now that the artworks Dark has been stealing are beginning to falter in numbers..."

"Mum!" protested Daisuke. Although he knew his classmate was well aware of Dark in him, he hated bringing up subjects about his other half: it just felt too weird for him.

"The spirits also seem disturbed, though," Akane said softly. "And the hearts of the Hikari artworks are also calling out for... I don't know... help, I think."

"..." the redhead stared, while his mother took a more forward approach to the matter.

"Akane-chan, is something bothering you?" she asked calmly as she took a more sympathetic tone and look. Akane shrugged at this and once more occupied herself with her jacket hem.

"Something's missing in the balance," she finally said.

"Balance?"

"... I don't know."

---

"Two more hours..." muttered Satoshi as he took a glance at his watch, the other hand in his pocket.

"Two more hours of waiting... and wondering..."

He knew he was saying it all, but it the voice that spoke wasn't his own, he was sure of it, and it wasn't Krad's either. The blonde was off somewhere in the depth of his mind, having finished his talk about killing hours ago. He frowned slightly, wondering if he was already losing his sanity, but this time the voice was clearer.

"Forever wondering what she was hiding from you..."

The voice was vaguely familiar, and Satoshi's frown deepened as the voice continued, trailing off into an almost whining tone that was in pain.

"Why she won't tell us... any of us... and we ask her, beg her... why is she keeping it a secret?"

"What do you want?" the blue-haired boy finally snapped, his gaze focused on the center of the room where he was sure that something was there, although he couldn't see it. There was a moment's silence and the owner of the voice seemed slightly hesitant.

"You mean... you remember me?" it asked. Satoshi had to suppress a snort before replying with a cool tone that only he could manage at the most stressful and unexpected times.

"I was stuck with you, helping you with your love affairs with the Water Spirit."

"Ah... that wasn't a love affair!" protested the voice, as vapor seemed to hiss around the room, yet didn't leave a mark anywhere in the room. "I missed her! After all those countless years without her were tearing me apart!"

"And I honestly don't care," retorted the blue-haired boy, "Shiro."

The spirit of ice finally materialized in front of the other, pouting slightly while his arms were crossed. He looked exactly the same as the first time they had met, and it was clear that his temper hadn't gotten any better.

"So," Satoshi also crossed his arms and made no attempt to greet the other formally, "What decided to make you visit me at a time like this? I thought you were at peace and free."

"I am," huffed Shiro, still annoyed about being told something that had never happened. "But something is amiss at the moment, if you need to know. Something in the worlds is stirring and sending everything out of whack."

"Really now?"

"Yes," he prodded a finger at the picture, "and even the spirit of the painting is no better. Akane knows something, but she won't tell us."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Be prepared," the Spirit suggested, before fading off. "Don't be scared to holler if you need out help."

There was no reply to the suggestion and Shiro faded off. Once he was out of sight, Satoshi turned to the painting – one of the few Hikari artworks that hadn't been stolen yet – and talked to it almost like he was speaking to a person.

"Is this true?" he inclined his head and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Is the balance really going off-key now? Do you know what's going on?"

He got no reply either, but he was certain that the spirits of the Hikari artworks had heard.

---

The Niwa family and Akane were waiting at the airport; Akane was swinging her legs as she sat on a rather large seat and Daisuke was pacing the empty-ish platform. There were a number of people around, many waiting for loved ones and friends, but the redhead was so nervous that he wasn't paying any attention to anything around him. His mother and father were talking about times when the plane arrived, and his grandfather was off looking at the flimsy shops that scattered the airport, and With was happily sitting on his head.

((Nervous?)) asked Dark, making the redhead jump because the questions had come unexpectedly.

(Dark! Don't do that to me!) he placed a shaky hand over his rapidly beating heart. (Obviously I'm going to be nervous about this! You only have to watch!)

((Until tonight, that is,)) pointed the Thief, ((Risa's bound to be out, and Riku will be out to find her, as per usual.))

(It's been a year, Harada-san could've changed,) pointed out the redhead. (And they're bound to have, what was it, jetlag, right? Something tells me they won't be out tonight.)

((You never know.))

(Hmph.)

"Niwa-kun?!"

At the sound of Riku's voice, it almost made Daisuke bolt and hide in the toilets. Instead, Emiko got behind her son and forced him to turn around to come face-to-face with his crush/girlfriend.

"Riku-san!" he tried to keep the high-pitch out of his voice and failed miserably. She looked exactly the same as the last time he had met her face-to-face and she smiled.

"You haven't changed, have you?" she asked teasingly as Emiko hovered in the background.

"Uh... I know..." his blush deepened considerably while Kosuke and Daiki had to forcefully drag Emiko off so that the two could have some peace. The redhead thought for a moment before offering the girl a hand attentively. "Do you want to...?"

"Sure!" she took his hand without a sign of hesitation and waved over to the rest of the family, "I'll be back in a minute!"

Her younger twin sister Risa waved back in reply before calling out, "Good luck, Niwa-kun!"

Daisuke ducked his head to hide his still incredibly red face as the two walked out for some peace and quiet. Risa smiled at the retreating pair before walking over to Akane, who was watching the adults restraining Emiko with mild amusement.

"Akane-chan, I didn't think you were actually coming as well," she commented cheerfully. The other girl smiled at this and flicked stray hairs back.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Risa-chan?" she asked in reply as she took in what Risa was actually wearing; the fashion was about the same so there was nothing new there, but her hair was definitely layered or something, but not streaked with any colour. The younger twin smiled and sat down on a bench close by.

"Riku was really excited on meeting Niwa-kun as soon as we arrived back," she said, "and she actually said that if he wasn't here, then she would actually go to his house to find him. It's funny, isn't it? But then again... I guess those two were meant for each other."

"Like you and Dark?" Akane took a seat next to the wistful brunette.

"Maybe... I can't wait to see him!"

The redhead winced as Risa's voice reached a high pitched squeal and petted her lightly on the shoulder, as if scared that she was about to start squealing again.

"You see him soon, I'm sure..."

Her eyes narrowed slightly but Risa failed to notice this.

"But how long the meeting will be, I don't know."

-------------------

Sorry! I don't know exactly what they were wearing, but I think you can guess. And I think Akane was wearing pants, but... uh... who knows now? And about him being worried about her wearing black, just to make it clear she only wore that colour when she was known as 'Scarlet' and I think we can all see that she hates that past. Who wouldn't? And with Shiro... hm... I think I changed his character a bit. Gotta review the characters before I go any further, I guess... or they'll all go nutty, I'm sure.

Crummy way to reunite with people. So cheesy... I couldn't think of any other way, so... yeah. Would Risa really do that for her twin? You gotta wonder sometimes...

Balance balance balance... you gotta wonder sometimes. And, yes, Satoshi knows a bit about that as well. Why? I'll explain later, most likely in the next two chaps.

I was going to talk more about Riku's and Daisuke's reunion (with Dark egging him on... heheheh...) but I thought just leaving it there. I was just too lazy, I guess. The talk and after should fit in nicely with what's happening next. I can't wait! And Celes still mutters the annoying prod prod hints. How fun...

Oh, and about Krad... I just like him sadistic more than anything, I guess. But he won't be that the whole way in this story, so... you know. Just at this point, he's probably still annoyed that he didn't get to kill Daisuke/Dark when he had the chance. After a year? Well, he seems to be the type to hold grudges, so why not? He'll simmer down soon, for sure. I'm trying to get him a bigger part this time. Don't know how it'll turn out this time, but I can only hope.

I just love annoying people with this kinda stuff. I mean, who doesn't?

-- Talkback!

- Staryday: I gotta say that I love ya for reading this and reviewing this. You make me feel so special (or maybe I'm going nuts. Or even both) Either way I am trying just to get to the point already, since the entire scenario is set up from the first story, FoT, so this is a nice way to pick it up and continue it from there. And of course, Akane knows all. Okay, not all, but more than most. Explained in the next two chaps, as with Saotshi knowing. Oh, and I love not letting Daisuke know anyhting. It's just so much fun annoying him (heh...). Thanks for the review!

- Blue-Angels-Wings: Thanks for the comment. And about FoT and Tales of Symphonia... I actually never heard of that game. Pity me, I'm so behind times, ya know! I feel like an idiot now. Anyway, those two names came from Squaresoft's games: Undine from Suikoden III (ya, the Water spirit. Hm... there was one in Tales of Phantasia) and Raine from FFVIII, since I couldn't think of anyhting else. And light spells came from... uh, The Secret of Mana, perhaps? Layer from that... actually, that sounds pretty interesting... since in the later chapters... oops! Better not tell you. Anyway, this gives me a couple of ideas, so thanks!


	4. Chapter 3: All In a Night's Work

Whee! Here's chapter 3! I'm so proud of myself... except for the cheesy get-together-alone scene and the um... fighting scene. You'll see what I mean soon enough.

Yay, the joy of this chap is so... I dunno, inspriring? Hope you find this one okay, cause it's the best I could do. Ah well, enjoy!

-------------------

Chapter 3: All In a Night's Work

-------------------

The night was pin-pointed with a number of small, gleaming lights that filled the somewhat deserted streets as Daisuke and Riku made their own aimless way to somewhere where they wouldn't be interfered: with a mother like Emiko, one could only wonder sometimes if their privacy was ever really there.

The air was fairly cool and Daisuke unconsciously passed a free hand through his hair, not being able to think of what to say to Riku and feeling incredibly awkward about the entire situation.

Dark, on the other hand, had plans to help the confused redhead.

((Come on already! Take the initiative! Go for it already Daisuke!)) he bellowed, ((There's no one around to see you two anyway!))

(DARK!) Daisuke blushed at his other half's unhelpful advice. (Why can't you just be serious for once?)

((I am totally serious this time!)) insisted the dark-haired Thief, while sniggering in the background. ((But you two haven't come face-to-face for a whole year now, and I think that it's the right thing to do. If Riku could hear me, she probably would agree!))

(Somehow, I doubt that.) The redhead grimaced.

"Eh? Niwa-kun, is something wrong?" Riku inclined her head slightly as she caught the redhead's expression. "You don't look too well at the moment..."

"Ah... ah! It's nothing, Riku-san! Nothing, really!" Daisuke flushed and waved his hands around wildly, trying to think of an excuse that was plausible, "I was just..."

((Just do it already!))

(Shut up, Dark!)

"... thinking about what mum said to me before we got here!" he finished quickly, trying to keep in time with his mental conversation with Dark and not actually speaking it out loud. "It was just very long and annoying, so..."

"Right..." by the look of her face, it was clear that Riku really didn't believe that. Not that she was going to interrogate him or anything. "It's a really peaceful night though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," agreed Daisuke, as they continued, "I'm really glad that you're back, Riku-san. Harada-san too."

"We missed you as well," Riku smiled at the memories, "But Risa wouldn't stop talking about Dark the entire time, whenever she got a call from one of her friends about that thief's appearances. It was really beginning to annoy me."

"That would probably flatter Dark quite a bit, though," the redhead commented in an off-hand voice.

"Maybe, but he's such a pervert! You wouldn't know, but he... he..." the brunette spluttered; flushing red with the memory that Daisuke was well aware of, as well as Dark.

((Hey! That was unintentional!))

"Are you... are you always going to hate the Phantom Thief, Riku-san?" Daisuke asked softly, on behalf of Dark, who was currently sulking in the corner of his mind.

"He's a womaniser!" she pointed out indignantly. "And the fact that my own sister would fall for someone like him! It just isn't right, and you know it, Niwa-kun. I just hope she finds out the obvious soon or she might get hurt..."

"Dark may be a womaniser," agreed Daisuke, wincing as Dark protested such a thing in his head, "But I don't think even someone like him would hurt someone who truly loved him on purpose."

"Why are we talking about him anyway?!" Riku frowned as the topic faded off abruptly at her question. "Whether or not Risa likes him, I can't change her thoughts, so... I just have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Hm..."

They fell in silence as they wandered past cars, lamps above them spilling dim light onto the otherwise unenthusiastic-looking concrete. Daisuke only looked down at it because he couldn't think of anything else to say for the time being; also so he could have a conversation with Dark without looking suspicious.

((Why does she hate me so much?! It wasn't like I meant to do that to her on that night. It was just one kiss!)) he protested indignantly. ((And she was the one who caused that to happen in the first place! I was just hiding from the police!))

(I know that, Dark,) replied Daisuke, almost wearily, (But try telling Riku-san that... it wouldn't take long for her to hit you over the head with something if she could.)

((And the very first night I saw her...))

(Strange, wasn't it?)

They stopped as they reached an empty area and both Daisuke and Riku sat down. After a while, Riku fidgeted slightly and turned her head to meet the redhead face-to-face, although Daisuke was still staring at the concrete for inspiration.

"Say, Niwa-kun," she started, so that he looked up at her as she continued, "I know that this may sound really absurd of me, but... um... you see..."

"Hm?" he blinked.

"... I was just wondering," she bit her lip, her brown hair falling over her face, "if, during the time we were gone... did you get into any other relationship with another girl?"

"... What?!" the redhead jumped up at the question, still trying to process it through his head, "Why... why would I just do that when I already like you?" he spluttered. (Dark, maybe, but me--!)

((Hey, leave me outta this!)) Dark yelled back.

"Aah! No, no, I didn't say that I thought that you were...!" she stammered, suddenly sounding fairly alarmed, "I was just, I didn't mean, I think I..."

She faltered, both embarrassed and worried as Daisuke just stared at her in shock. Silence blanketed the entire area as the two fell silent yet again, the awkwardness seeping into them.

"Riku-san, you know that I wouldn't do that to you," the redhead sighed as he continued. "I think... I have a feeling that... you're the only one for me."

Riku inclined her head at this, noticing that Daisuke wasn't mad at her, "Niwa-kun..."

"So let's try not to think that way," he smiled.

She returned the gesture shakily, "Okay."

A breeze picked up around them, but rather than being calm, Daisuke's back prickled and he shuddered; though not enough for Riku to notice anything out of the ordinarily.

(Dark?)

((Hm...))

"Riku-----!" Risa's voice cut past the breeze and the two jumped up, "We have to go!"

"Okay!" she called back, before turning to face Daisuke again, face flushed. "See you later, Niwa-kun."

"Aah, okay."

Without another passing word, the shorthaired twin ran off into the darkness, and the redhead took a passing glance at the sky above.

"What's with the sudden hostility--?" he wondered.

"Ah! There you are, Dai-chan!" called Emiko as she caught sight of him. "We have to go! You can't be late for your job, you know!"

"Yes, mum..."

As he prepared to transform – since it was faster that way – Daisuke couldn't help but look over to where Akane stood, eyes hooded over slightly. She ignored his gaze until Dark had taken over, and he just shook his head.

"You're a strange one, you know," he pointed out breezily as Emiko gave him the costume for that night. "Why Daisuke stands up with your behavior, I'll never know."

"Funny, I thought you and Niwa-kun were the one and same," she replied. "So how could you not know?"

The purple-haired thief pouted at this before waving over to the other Niwas, who were standing by their car. They returned the wave before piling into it.

"Akane-chan, are you coming?" asked Emiko cheerfully.

"Aah... no, Mrs. Niwa, I have some... unfinished business to attend to tonight," she replied, not even bothering to turn around to face them. Kosuke muttered something but no one asked what she was doing exactly, and Emiko waved to the two as the car took off.

"Take care, then!"

The two watched as the car faded off into the distance, and then Akane turned away.

"Be careful, will you? And... get changed somewhere where no one will see you," was all she ended up saying before she too, disappeared. At that, Dark frowned before trudging off.

((What's with her today?)) he grumbled.

(I don't know anymore...)

---

While in the car, Risa gasped, as if remembering something important. She moved over to where her mother was driving, and gasped out in a dramatic manner; "I have to see Ritsuko-chan tonight! I promised her I would!"

"But honey," her mother started in a placid manner, "it's late, and you need to sleep."

"But I promised!"

Riku rolled her eyes, well aware that that wasn't the case: Ritsuko had told her about Dark's appearance that night, and there was no other option for the younger twin – she just had to see Dark. Pure logic in the mind of Risa.

"Do you really have to?" she hissed from her side of the seat.

"Of course!"

"Aah, but not for long then, girls," their mother sighed as she changed the path of their journey and stopped at Ritsuko Fukada's house. "Call when you're finished."

"We can walk home from here, can't we Riku!" replied Risa, excited.

"Yeah..." 'I can't believe you, Risa!'

Their mother waved to them as the car took off again and they waited until the car was out of sight. Once gone, the younger brunette started to run off in the main direction of the museum.

"We're gonna be late, Riku! Come on!"

"Risa, why must you always--" grumbled Riku, but followed all the same.

---

"Dark will be making his appearance in five minutes!" yelled a voice.

The entire premise was crawling with guards, as usual, and the outside had reporters from every channel: even after a year, Dark appearing seemed to have some impact on the world of media.

"The great Phantom Thief Dark will be making another appearance today," said a female reporter in her cool voice, as if she was born to report all her life. "His target today is the Sacred Maiden's Portrait. This is, as we know, a very valuable piece that has been with this museum only for a week! Will Dark be able to steal this piece of artwork? Only time shall tell. We'll keep you updated on the news."

Satoshi ignored all of the chaos around him and looked at the portrait with cold eyes, not really knowing why he was doing so. Maybe it was because he couldn't get an answer, and something had finally hit a nerve; or maybe it was because he knew that Dark would succeed and nothing could stop him. It didn't matter either way.

---

"Great night, huh, Daisuke?" asked Dark confidently as he flew over to the museum.

(... I guess...) the redhead fidgeted, almost scared of what they were getting themselves into. If the Thief was worried – more annoyed, it seemed – he was doing a good job keeping it out of his mind as he descended towards an entrance close by. He stopped for a moment, as if considering the number of people that actually surrounded it.

"This is gonna be fun," he commented with his usual up front stand of confidence. "Don't you agree?"

(For you, maybe,) replied the redhead, (I can't do anything from where I am, can I?)

"True," Dark laughed, "But nothing's gonna happen and you know that already."

(Yeah...)

---

Akane watched from a safe distance as the familiar shadow of Dark descended towards the museum. The breeze picked up considerably as she turned, the wind toying with her plait. The lining of her wings faded in and out of the world, like a hologram that needed to be fixed, and she shook her head slowly.

'Something there... but what?' she wondered. The wind continued to grow stronger with each minute that passed, and still she remained where she was.

'What am I supposed to do?'

---

The guards had been easy to pass. The traps and alarms were also easy to pass without disturbing them. There was only one of two people that even phased Dark's ego; Satoshi Hiwatari and Krad.

As expected, they were waiting for him where the artwork was held, and the blue-haired commander wasn't exactly looking very pleased to see the Thief: if the situation had been anywhere other than the museum, Dark would have laughed. Instead, he just smirked as Satoshi stepped up, even though he could almost feel Krad inside the other boy trying to fight his way out.

"So, planning to try and catch me again?" he asked.

"What else did you expect from me?" retorted Satoshi.

"Hm... I thought by now you might have worked out that you can't catch me," Dark teased, well aware that he was going to get on the other boy's nerves soon, "so why waste time here? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one here?"

Satoshi's frown deepened as her lunged at Dark, who expected this and leapt out of the way. They continued for a moment – while Daisuke yelled at his other half to just get the painting and go and Krad was still trying to get out to kill Dark – and only stopped when a strange vibration seemed to pass the room. Both froze as the vibration passed under their feet and Dark shrugged.

((I guess I should go now, shouldn't I?)) he asked coolly, although he seemed a little unhinged about the strange occurrence.

(Dark... I have a bad feeling about this...) Daisuke said softly, almost hesitantly, (I think we shouldn't take the painting.)

"Are you stupid?" asked Dark out loud, making Satoshi turn to stare at them, "Emiko would kill us both for leaving it here."

As he took down the painting, the blue-haired boy behind him spoke to him, not even trying to stop him anymore. But it wasn't just that that made Dark wary: Satoshi offered him a warning.

"I wouldn't take that if I were you. And I wouldn't go outside either," he said in a low voice.

"What do you mean by that exactly, commander?" Dark smirked again, trying not to look worried. "And you think that I'm going to stand here with you around?"

"This is the only time I'm going to warn you," repeated Satoshi, "Don't leave with the painting."

"I'll do what I please," snorted the Thief, and made his way out of the room. He heard the commander running after him and, after tucking the painting so that he couldn't lose it, Dark took off at a run. He slid past a large number of guards and cursed slightly when he noted that Satoshi was still on his trail.

((I think the creepy bastard's getting faster.))

(Dark!)

((I know, I know.))

He summoned dark energy with his free hand and successfully broke a window close by. The alarms hit off and without hesitation the Thief jumped out, calling to With. The black winged creature instantly attached itself to his back and they flew off, the sound of the alarms getting dimmer behind them.

::I'm taking over now, Satoshi-sama.::

---

Risa tugged impatiently at Riku's wrist, urging her older sister to keep up with her.

"We're already late! Come on!"

"Risa! I really think this is the wrong time to be doing this!" huffed the older Harada twin as she brushed stray hairs off her face as she allowed herself to be pulled. "We only just got back home and already you're... what about school tomorrow, huh?!"

"I have to meet Dark-san!"

"Then why do I have to be here?!" Riku snapped back, although she was well aware why; if Risa went out to see the Perverted Thief, than Riku was sure to be close by.

"Ah! I think I can see him!" crowed Risa excitedly, pointing up at the sky. Riku waited until her eyes began to adjust and only managed to see the shadowed figure as it landed on a roof a good distance away.

"Uh... Risa? If you want to see him," Riku flinched at the thought, "Then you'd have to find a way to get onto the roof, and, personally, I don't see how you can do that in a skirt."

"I'll manage! ... Can you help me up?"

"..." the older twin raised both eyebrows at the determination the other girl was showing as she found a large tree with overhanging branches that snaked onto a roof close by them. With a suppressed sigh of resignation, Riku helped Risa up before climbing up herself.

"You do know how dangerous this is," she warned her as they somehow managed to get onto the roof without too much trouble. Risa shrugged lightly before scanning the rooftops before her.

"Let's go, Riku!" she called.

'She'll never learn...' Riku couldn't help but sigh again.

---

"I told you that it would be easy!" laughed Dark confidently. He sat on the roof, taking a closer look at the portrait. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

(Dark... I think we should go now,) Daisuke suggested in a low voice.

"Stop worrying so much," replied the Thief, "Creepy boy won't be around anytime soon. We all know that he can't run across rooftops even if his life depended on it!"

"I think you should show more respect to your betters, Dark," said a soft, yet dangerous, voice behind him.

"Crap..."

(It's Krad!)

Dark turned around in time to be hit square-on by an energy ball sent by the blonde. With a snarl, he leapt up, knowing that using too much energy would tire his host out, but not wanting to be killed then and there.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Why ask such an obvious question?" retorted Krad, as he summoned more energy to his palm, "You know that Satoshi-sama was only trying to warn you, but when you ignored it, it gave me the chance to take over. And now you're going to die."

"Nice prophecy, but it's not gonna happen," Dark smirked as he spread out his wings. Black feathers mingled with white feathers as a harsh breeze began to pick up around them. He dodged as another beam of white energy flew by him and summoned his own magic – not too much though – and jumped back a bit. Directing the beam at the blonde, he let it go before jumping off the rooftop, only to freeze when he heard a familiar female's voice.

"Dark-san!"

"Risa?!" he half-yelped - taken by surprise - only to be knocked back forcefully by another attack from Krad. "Dammit, get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

"But Dark-san--" started the younger twin, half shocked as she watched the Thief being struck by the attack.

"Risa, don't stay here!!" repeated Dark forcefully.

She stood on the roof, practically frozen out of pure terror at seeing the battle first-hand, and gave a yelp of surprise when Riku pushed her from behind.

"Move it, Risa!" she commanded, "Go now!"

Risa pouted at this – not liking it when she was pushed around – but it was enough time for Dark to move the battle elsewhere. Dodging each attack with ease, he led Krad a merry dance until he was sure that neither twin could find them. By then, of course, he was nursing a bloody shoulder and a not-too-fabulous bruise on various parts of the body.

"Damn you, Krad," he muttered, "Why must you always choose the stupidest time to try and pick a fight with me?"

"Because you won't die," replied the blonde, smirking. "Don't tell me you were worried about those two getting hurt in our little battle, Dark. I didn't think you'd have the heart for it."

"I think you're talking about yourself there, Krad," Dark shot back, while Daisuke continued to berate him.

(Don't hurt him! I know that he is trying to kill us--)

((Damn straight!))

(--but you can't do it! Do you know how guilty I'm gonna feel if your actually kill someone?!)

((This is the sadistic freak we're talking about!)) Dark pointed out, ((He probably won't care if he kills both of us!))

(But... I don't think that Krad's really bad... on purpose...) Daisuke hesitated. (That time when we were recovering the spirits... well, he wasn't that bad of a person.)

((That was because,)) started the Thief impatiently as he dodged yet another beam, "He couldn't hurt you then, dammit!"

Losing patience, Dark practically leapt on Krad, in a half-attempt to strangle him. As expected, Krad retaliated and it wasn't long before the dark sky was filled with streaming beams of both black and white energy, which might have looked pretty from a distance, but was dangerous and they both knew it.

"You're not thinking about giving up, now, are you?" taunted the blonde as Dark prepared his wings for flight once more.

"Man, he's persistent today, isn't he..." the Thief muttered in return.

As the battle raged back and forth – doing no more than minor injuries to the evenly matched foes – while the two hosts tried their best to regain control over their bodies.

(Dark! You'll kill him!)

:Don't do this to them. Krad, you sadistic bastard.:

Unaware to all four there, not only was a figure approaching them at a fairly quick pace, but the painting – that Dark had dropped as the fighting began – was beginning to shine with an unnatural aura.

---

A sharp feeling lanced through Akane and she bent over abruptly, coughing. Her eyes clouded over for a moment as the breeze nearly sent her off the roof. One hand lay on her knee while the other covered her face, as if afraid of what she was going to see.

"That was..."

She flinched as she felt the power getting stronger, almost uncontrollable. The pendant around her neck began to flash dangerously, in tune with the vibrations that could only be felt around them.

A shattering sound – like glass breaking – filled her ears and she almost screamed, unable to understand what was going on. But as her mind began to focus, so did her wits.

"No... the balance..."

---

'Yeesh, when I catch that Thief...' Riku ranted in her mind, as she tried to find him, 'It's because of him that Risa and I are here in the first place! I've told her so many times just to let the situation go!'

It was obvious that the brunette wanted to give Dark a piece of her mind; because of him, both twins had found themselves climbing onto a roof – which was dangerous unto itself – and now Risa was in shock, sitting and staring blankly at the sky.

"Dark! This is your fault!" she burst out in frustration, as she caught sight of him, still fighting with the blonde. Despite his earlier warnings to her younger sister, Riku was ready to tell him off.

Even if it meant getting in the way of an all-out, clearly dangerous, fight.

---

At the sound of an angry voice, both Dark and Krad stopped fighting for a moment, clearly surprised by the interruption. Dark hit his forehead while Krad just watched calmly, enjoying seeing the Thief in a bad mood – or at least annoyed.

"Riku! Get out of here! It's too dangerous!" he snapped, tensing incase the blonde decided to start attacking again.

"No! You started this in the first place, Dark!" Riku yelled back. She was about to say more, but was rudely interrupted as the painting suddenly flashed dangerously and a wave of transparent energy knocked them all back.

"What the--" started Dark, being the closet, as he turned to the painting: it was emitting a dangerous aura that made the sky waver in front of them. He swallowed and took a hesitant step back, while Daisuke yelled at him.

(Get out of here! Now!)

((Dammit... can't move,)) he replied, ((What the hell is this?!))

The wavering stopped, as a large hole seemed to open up to them. The wind all around them seemed the be sucked into the portal and Dark cursed out loud as he felt himself being dragged in, fighting back as best he could. Riku yelled somewhere in the background, while Krad remained almost transfixed on the ground, surprised at what was happening.

"Dark!" yelled Akane's voice, still a good distance away, "You have to get away from there! The balance--"

She was cut short, as the hole seemed to blast out a wave of energy that knocked everyone back except for one. There was a deep lingering of power as light engulfed the entire area, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.

---

A throbbing in Satoshi's skull was the first thing he noticed as he regained consciousness. He groaned and placed a pale hand gingerly on his forehead, wondering if his head was going to split open anytime soon. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a strange scene before him, besides the fact that he was lying on a rooftop.

Close by the older Harada twin, Riku, was lying sprawled out on the rooftop, still unconscious. Akane Takada was also close by, although she was clearly awake.

He sat up, glaring at her, expecting an answer.

Her eyes were hooded over. "Don't you remember what happened?"

He thought for a moment, flashes of images returning to him; Dark fighting with Krad, Riku yelling at Dark, the painting glowing with a power that wasn't going to be there, and...

"No," he said flatly, "No."

Akane bent over to help him stand up, her eyes glazed over with a deep sense of sadness and seemed almost hopeless. But besides that, her eyes seemed to flicker with something else deep within the other emotions, although Satoshi was in no mood to work it out. He turned to where the portrait had been, and stared:

The entire area where it had been was empty, save the portrait itself. And...

...A scattering of black feathers.

&&& (wow, a new page break...)

"How did it go?"

"_As planned."_

"So, do any of them know?"

"_We do not keep tabs on them. They are both protected with an energy that we cannot surpass."_

"What about the other one?"

"_Also protected. How, we do not know."_

"But everything else went according to plan?"

"_The plan was a success."_

-------------------

Hah! Take that! Oh, wait, what am I saying? This is terrible, isn't it?! Well, it could be worse, I think, and this is one of the best chapters I've managed and I shouda made Akane sick, maybe... and Riku's there for a reason. And where's Dark? Well, your guess is as good as mine.

Celes needs to say more, I think. And Akane. And what about that roof climbing part? Can't see Risa doing that. Riku on the other hand... and the fighting was bad, I know that much. So repetitive...

The next chapter will explain the whole balance concept, and the story's going to be split more so. And the action's going to start soon! Parallel dimensions and other worlds, here we come!

And Krad, well... we'll see very soon.

-- Talkback!

- Staryday: don't blame you for not liking the first one. Long, confusing, and um... boring I guess. If that concludes what one thinks of it, than Heaven help us all. It was my first attempt though, so I like it to a pretty strong point. It was really easy to type out. Came out naturally, I guess. And this will have more action! Go figure. Well, thanks for the review, love ya for that!


	5. Chapter 4: Why was it

Uh... yes, an update for this. –scratches head- Don't ask me, I don't know, and I doubt I'll ever know. Painful, painful, painful... you get the picture.

I'm currently considering my update options, and, well, this stinks. No, I'm not talking about the chapter, but still... I don't know what I'm doing anymore. Well, hope you enjoy, or something.

Warning: strange way of writing, strange way of writing... (times that by 100000000000000000000000000000000000)... Weird, weird plot line and most likely OOC or close to that. Mainly Krad, anyway.We'll see about that.

-------------------

Chapter 4: Why was it...

-------------------

_Dark... pain... suffering... loss and the need for someone to heed their call..._

_They needed help... who could they turn to?_

_A disruption among disruptions, a question forever left unanswered. Blood called for blood... and there was no way they could stop it. Nothing could stop them now..._

_What was it that they were searching for? What was it that they wanted? What was it... Why were they here in the first place? The whole idea seemed to be absurd..._

_How annoying..._

_What was the topic of discussion again? They lost track and thought after a while, so it took a long time before they could even half wok it out, and by then, they just wanted to sleep, or die, or retire from whatever day job they had. Whatever that was._

_Most worlds were left to their own devices, so the topic of discussion was more... complicated than usual. Joy._

_An opening between the worlds was a problem, a big, big problem. So big that they could put it in a tiny bottle. ..._

_Oh well._

---

The silence within the Niwa household was beyond suspenseful and tense, as well as deafening, and even Emiko seemed too shocked by the news this time to do anything – mainly yell that she was going to save her son. No, this time was just too much for the mother and it would take some time before she recovered. If she recovered at all.

Both Dark and Daisuke were gone. Where, no one knew for certain and that was the worse part. It seemed to be because of the portrait, but, as the Hikari boy had said, the magic should have been gone completely, and even then it didn't hold that type of power.

Satoshi watched the ashen-faced family silently, not making any move to comfort them or reassure them, since even he had no idea to the whereabouts of the Phantom Thief and his host. He was as shocked as the rest, but he had no power over it, so there was no point trying to act like someone was dead. That hadn't been confirmed yet.

Either way, Krad was being annoying – or as annoying a sadistic guy can be when he's living in someone else's head – since he still wanted to wring Dark's neck. Badly. But now said thief was gone so that couldn't happen until they got some facts to work on.

Silence wreathed the room, dread hanging in the air and that was the worst part: no one knew whether the pair was alive or dead.

---

Unable to take the tension, Akane had taken her solitude outside on the roof, knees drawn up to her chest as she took a look at the forbidding sky. Something was missing badly, something was lost to the worlds and that was the reason.

That was the cause of the balance wavering unexpectedly and sending a chain reaction to everything it touched, magical and otherwise. Something had been broken and this was the first time...

"... Where are they though..." she muttered, eyes half-closing, "What exactly happened?"

Someone had tampered with the balance, since there was no other way that such a situation could have happened, but the questions had no answers, and that was what annoyed her the most.

And all the while, the Niwa family and Satoshi were sitting inside the house, death plaguing their memories and thoughts. Most likely, anyway.

She got up.

One way or another, she would have to tell what she knew, and it wasn't much. Nor was it comforting. But it was a start.

---

_Something was lost, something was missing... what was it?_

_The balance had been upset, and there was no real reason for such a thing to be happening. Someone had sabotaged the peace, and now the worlds could very well be in chaos. But there was no reason for anyone to do such a hideous thing..._

_What were their motives?_

---

A small cough was enough to gain everyone's attention inside the stuffy room. They stared at Akane, who inclined her head slightly at their hostile auras/waves/feelings.

"Niwa-kun... he's okay," she finally said, "and so is Dark, if you're wondering."

A minute of silence was used to absorb the small piece of information, and then the bomb hit.

"WHAT?!"

Whatever else after that involved a lot of yelling and mixed emotions – Satoshi was standing in the background silently still – and once they had finally calmed down, Akane continued, as calmy as she could with Emiko coming close to threatening her with a katana.

"Like I said, he's not dead, or anything," she emphasised, "He's just... not in this world."

"You mean he's in another world, in an art piece," Daikii clarified, "Like the Second Hand of Time."

"Exactly. But..."

"This particular artwork doesn't pose the magic potential to allow it to send other people to its world," Satoshi finished, pushing his glasses up a bit more. "That's the one thing that has been bothering me since. Correct?"

Akane nodded, frowning, "The portrait might just have been a useful prop to allow, whoever did this, the plan to go into action."

"Who could sabotage an artwork like that though?" Emiko fretted. "Oh, Daisuke..."

"You mean there's no way to get him back then?" Kosuke asked, trying to comfort his wife at the same time. "If there is no real source, then how are we to..." He faltered and fell silent, not wanting to hear that his only son would never be able to return.

"There may be a way," Akane sighed, "But I don't know it, to be exact. I'll have to speak with Celes, and she's been..." She struggled to find the right word, "A bit preoccupied."

"I see..." Kosuke accepted the facts as calmly as he could and then directed their attention elsewhere, "I think we should take these two back home." He was now referring to the two Harada twins, who was – as expected – still unconscious, although not hurt in any way. That was the good part, but there was still the matter of what was going to happen next...

---

"Are you certain that Niwa and Dark are okay?"

"Definitely," she nodded, ignoring Satoshi's piercing gaze as they walked home. "They can take care of themselves, but I'm more worried as to what is going to happen to everything else now..."

"The Balance," the blue-haired boy stated firmly, "is completely severed from its usual form."

"Eh?" she stared at him for a moment, and then her eyes narrowed slightly, "So you do know about it..."

"As the last member of the Hikari clan, I know quite a few things," he said calmly, "About the balance, the Revolution, the worlds other then ours, not meaning the worlds the artworks create..."

"That's where they are."

Satoshi stopped at that, "What?"

"I've... been considering the options referring to what happened to the two, but none of them seemed right." Akane was now looking at the sky in an almost... wistful way, "That artwork has been fading away for years, as you know, so I couldn't understand how it reacted so strongly when connected to more offensive magic.

It took awhile to understand that someone might have been the cause to it, but...

I don't understand why."

"Is that why you didn't tell us?" he was smirking slightly, although the entire situation was less than amusing, "Because you weren't sure about your facts? You might have just cost Niwa his life, and you know it."

"You've been talking to one of the Spirits, haven't you?" she didn't seem all that surprised, "I guess it was my fault, but there is no way to change the past. But if you're willing to help me, I'll gladly accept." And with that, she left in another direction.

::I think I should teach her a lesson...:: Krad began unexpectedly.

:Over my dead body,: snapped Satoshi, disgruntled, :You're not the cause of this, are you?:

::Satoshi-sama, how did you get to that conclusion?:: the blonde seemed rather indignant, ::I plan to kill Dark, not torture him in another world, although it has been awhile since I heard mention of the other worlds.::

:If you have any helpful information about it, then I'd like to know.:

Silence followed with that and the blue-haired boy was more or less at the breaking point of actually banging his head against something hard or breaking something within itself.

"My, you seem to be in a good mood on this cloudy night."

"What do you want?" Satoshi didn't even bother turning to face Shiro, who was accompanied by Undine this time.

"We were hoping that you would be able to get answers out of her, that's all," Shiro said, blinking innocently, "But if the balance has been completely severed."

"No, not exactly," cut in Undine. "There is still hope, but not much of it. I know that there's a way to get there, but it's so ancient and dangerous, no one has spoken of it for many years."

"And I'm assuming that you remember it?" finally deciding to turn, Satoshi raised an eyebrow in question. "Or are you just trying to waste my time?"

"Well, if you're like that," she sniffed slightly, "All I can say that it may involve opposing elements. I don't know how, but that may help you."

"Hmph," shrugging the two off dismissively, the blue-haired boy left off to where home was. Not that it was a very welcoming place, but there was nowhere else for him to go, and it wasn't like anyone was looking out for him.

What he was going to do would involve a lot of research and Krad's occasional taunting, but he thought he could handle it.

---

Something was wrong, something – aside from the magic and the painting and the missing of two souls – was about and no one was talking about it. No one seemed to know the cause of it, nor did they talk about it. It was a nothing. A nothing that would be the death of them.

Surely Celes knew about it, and she knew what was going on. But she wasn't about to tell anyone, and that was the worst part of the entire scenario. That was what caused the pain and the suffering in the first place.

It sucked.

Akane rolled over, eyes closed and trying to ignore the facts that wouldn't leave her. She had to get the answers soon, otherwise Daisuke might truly be in danger and Dark might not be able to help him. And the Priestess was talking.

Damn. Why was it that she always had to do things on her own?

Satoshi might be able to help and all, but someone else would also be necessary for the process.

But who...

---

The clouds were bunching up again the next morning and Satoshi was in no real position to even think of going to school. Staying up even later than one in the morning, the blue-haired boy was still sleeping somewhat peacefully with nothing in particular on his mind. Papers littered the floor and the laptop next to him was still on, but the opened documents and papers held no answers.

At least, not the answers he wanted.

Nor was it the answers that the blonde was looking for, who was the only one awake in the silent apartment room. He was used to be ignored and taunted, and doing the taunting, but this time it seemed vital that he help somehow. Why? Well, he had no real reason, unless it was just to hurt Dark and cause him some pain for running away from their fight AGAIN. It always happened at the worst times, and it was really starting to get on his nerves somewhat.

Not really caring whether or not he could take control over his host's body – since he had no one to kill (aka said thief or host/Wing master) – Krad found himself moodily poking at the back of his mind, hoping that something that could help would form itself in there. Being alive for one too many years led to short memories and that was what annoying him the most at the moment. The only other things that bugged him recently was Dark, Satoshi ignoring him – although he did that all the time – Daisuke trying to befriend them all, Dark running away, and Dark just being an annoying part of life in itself. And, of course, some of the other memories that involved his past life... or something. And then there was life itself.

He hated life, so to speak, or, to be more accurate, hated the fact that he was always being sealed with another Hikari male generation after generation after generation... the thought went on forever and the only thing that kept him sane – or as close to as sane as the blonde could be – was the mission to kill Dark and to rid of the Niwa clans.

But even that was starting to wear thin, and he had been around too long to know that it was close to impossible to kill said family.

And he was trailing off again.

Frowning, Krad went back to thinking.

---

_There is always something missing... something missing in the being I once called home... In the one place I used to belong..._

_Pain and suffering and the Cultural Revolution... as the humans put it, was the cause of it all... and the reason to why it is now that something is going wrong._

_There are still a few who treat us right, but they are drifting away... lost and drowned under the influence of others..._

_Someone has sabotaged the peace, and they will pay..._

_Somehow, they will be found..._

---

"Ugh..."

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

Wait, where was he?

"—re... better... –ow?"

What? Who was that? He couldn't identify the voice, but it was so... hm... peaceful? Serene? Calm? Way too calm...

"Ow..."

What now?

"—ark?"

Who hell was Ark?

"Dark?"

Oh, that's right. That was his name, even if it was a colour reference. Cool.

"—s he okay?"

Still, who was that other person? Definitely not Hiwatari so it couldn't be Krad either. Besides the fact that Krad would be trying to kill him if he was present, said blonde didn't have a female's voice either. So... one of the Harada twins?

"—think so... don't know –appened..."

God, he was going insane. Not that this was the first.

"—et me handle it!"

"What?"

What—

Something very heavy and hard descended on the Thief's head and – amazingly – he jerked up, swearing just a tad too loudly. His host 'tutted' in sympathy as he rubbed the area that had been hit and Dark glared at the person who had hurt him in the first place – no one was allowed to do that. NO ONE.

Then, as his senses and conscious came back to him, he noticed that, well, he wasn't exactly at home, or anything that could be referred to as home. Not to mention he was surrounded by brick walls, and mason, and eerie looking bars... jail? Wait... Daisuke was sitting right next to him as well, so that could only mean...

"Where am I?" Dark finally decided to ask, a bit groggily. The redhead fretted for a moment, hesitant.

"Well..."

---

"Akane..."

"You know something." Accusation filled the girl's voice. It was almost like she expected it from the start. Celes was shocked, besides the fact that Akane should have been at school.

"What are you..."

"So, you don't care if the balance is completely corrupted then? That the negative flow will completely overwhelm the land again? Is that your reason?"

"No, I..." the priestess shook her head in disbelief.

"I'll be taking this." A small scroll, small enough to fit in her palm, materialized and the redhead stowed it away. Celes' eyes widened.

"Wait, you cannot..."

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Celes. And if you won't help, I won't be asking for it."

"Why are you so..."

"Tomorrow, the Niwa residence. I'll have them ready by then..." Akane turned away.

"But Akane, you know that--"

"Of course I know."

"..."

"I'll be the sacrifice if things go wrong."

"..."

"Even if you don't come, I'll doing it anyway. So remember now."

She left, silence following in its wake. Celes bowed her head, punishing herself silently.

"Oh Akane... why do you have to be so stubborn..."

---

_Oh, the life of an artwork. Nothing could be as boring, or tedious, or utterly pointless. But people appreciated them, so they continued to do what they did best._

_But it didn't help, now that everything was distorted._

_They were going to kill whoever caused the trouble in the first place._

---

And there you go, another chapter, as weird as any other. Wait, it's weirder. Sorry! Oh well, at least I got it done in, what, an hour? Whoopdedoo and all. –throws flowers around in joy and manages to blow up another building in the process- Oops. –looks at bombs- How did these get here?

Anyway, sorry about poor characterisations and all, but I have no power over them! Not my fault, blame the brain! The italics were referring to the artworks and their thoughts (strange. Every strange) but I couldn't help it. Uh... yeah. We all get to see Dark react to whatever news next chap, as well as what happened to Riku and Risa, and, well, what Akane was going on about. Again.

Celes is sooooo weird... she freaks me out a bit...

So yeah. Happy now? I'll try and update faster, but really can't make any promises, being me and all.

-- Talkback! ... of sorts.

- Blue-Angels-Wings: Well, we've found Dark now, but where they are... that is yet to be seen. Heheheh... oh wait, that's not funny. Anyway, here's my chapter, bad, good, whatever. In between. Hope you enjoyed.


	6. Chapter 5: Some Things Don’t Make Sense

Don't ask. Please. It's an update and that's all we need to know...

Warnings: I don't know. You tell me.

-

Chapter 5: Some Things Don't Make Sense

-

"No way... are you kidding me!"

"Dark, calm down just a bit..."

"No way! No way in hell am I going to calm down about something like THIS! ... Even though it doesn't REALLY surprise me, now that I think about it..."

"... Just like you, Dark."

Dark was currently frowning – sitting up – while Daisuke sat next to him, both not really in the mood to do much. The girl that was with them sniffed a bit to gain their attention.

"So who are you?" Dark asked blankly. She inclined her head, her hair a light brownish colour and tied up in two low ponytails while wearing what looked like an old homespun dress – like the ones that were worn during the Middle Ages.

"I'm a maid here, that's who I am," she finally replied, "And aren't you the least bit worried about being held in the DUNGEONS, of all places?"

"No, 'cause I'll get out, no problem." It was clear that he didn't understand what she had really meant was for him to stop screaming and drawing attention to him, so the redhead had to be blunt. Really blunt to his other half.

"Dark, I really don't think you should be yelling so much," he insisted, "Because we can't draw too much attention to ourselves until we work out what to do."

"Well, first we bust outta here and then go back to our world. Simple."

"No Dark. While you were out, I found out quite a few things that may make things slightly... challenging...

I mean, did you ever consider as to WHY we're in DUNGEONS?"

-

The guards that were guarding the cell which the redhead and his alter ego were currently placed finally unplugged their ears once Dark had stopped bellowing like there was no tomorrow. The two guards looked exactly alike, from their armor and spears to the wings that were stuck on their back. Guard One banged his spear against the stone floor, clearly bored out of his mind.

"It's not like the prisoners are doing anything anyway," he muttered. "I mean, they fell from the sky and the king freaks. Can't we have someone else take our shift already?"

"Hey, the pay may be low, but I have a family," muttered Guard Two, "Not to mention that they're just clearly weird. The maid's taking her time in there, isn't she?"

"I'll say. Do you think they're torturing her?"

"Nah, she would be the one screaming then."

"Hm..."

And so, the awkward silence fell in the basement area, and all was quite. Save what was going on inside the murky, dark, dank place... well, the jail area, anyway.

They were really, really bored, and since they had nothing else to do...

"Wanna get some booze?"

"Do you even know where to get it? It's like, far away."

"I'm sure I can fly there, no problem. And it isn't like the prisoners are doing anything suspicious."

"... Booze, huh? How much do you think you'll have to pay for it?"

"I can strike a deal with them, so not much."

"Fine, but you better be back before someone checks on us."

"Right, okay."

-

'Maybe I'm just fooling myself... but why did this have to happen now? Who's behind all this?'

Akane frowned in annoyance as she sat on her bed, not thinking of much as she tried to understand the situation before her. And why? Why would they just do that? Did anyone else have something against Dark or the Niwa clan?

No, there was no one else except for Krad, and he was definitely not behind this. So who else was left?

No one that she could think of at the moment.

'Why is it?'

There was something going on, and she needed all the help she could get. The scroll she had taken from Celes was now sitting on her desk and she wondered if it was the right thing to do. With a sigh, Akane swung her legs off the bed and got up.

"It may be dangerous, but it'll be okay for sure. I mean, who else is left?" her answer was a number of shining balls of light materialising before her. "Oh, of course; how could I forget?"

-

By the time Daisuke had finished his explanation to why they were where they were – to put it simply, in another world – Dark was pacing the room with a frown on his face.

"Okay, so first this is what happened after that painting went crazy," he started.

"Yeah."

"And then suddenly we were here. Well, not here, but a few feet away from this town."

"You forgot the fact that some monsters were wondering whether they should eat you or not," the maid, who was known as Kara, added. "And you were nearly there before-"

"The king's soldiers spotted us after seeing a bright flash of light and decided to investigate and then saw us. Then they took us to the castle, unconscious," finished Dark impatiently, "And then your king decided it was best to freak and throw us in the dungeons until we woke up."

"Yeah, that wraps it up," Daisuke fidgeted unconsciously, "Apparently we're in a town called Windia. But... what's going to happen to us now?"

Kara frowned, "I'm not too sure. I am a maid and all, and I hear quite a few things, but everyone seems a bit too paranoid for their own good. I mean, the king just recovered from a really bad illness, and the only heir to the throne is also wondering what to think of the situation, but everyone else thinks you people are bad omens."

Dark nodded and then decided to point something out that he had just noticed, "Why do you have wings?"

"All of our people have wings," she replied loftily, "And I'm no different from the rest. Well, I guess I should go now before someone notices I've been shirking my duties again." She gathered her things and then stood up. "Well, until then..."

"Just one thing," again, the Phantom Thief ignored the fact that she was now glaring at him, "Why are you helping us?" She smiled suddenly, opening the cell door slightly.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm just a bit rebellious, and after hearing what Daisuke said, I didn't think something so exciting would happen in my lifetime. Not after Deathevn."

"What?"

"I'll explain it some other time."

The door clanged shut and they heard a key grating in the lock, securing them in. Then again, with a master Thief and a host who had to learn to unlock such things, it was a pretty pointless exercise.

Once silence was reassured, Dark sat back down, staring at the ceiling with blank interest. Daisuke crawled over to his alter ego, worried about the lack of activity he received – never in his whole life had he heard Dark say nothing when he was awake. Maybe he was asleep... the redhead waved a hand in front of the violet-haired male's face. No reaction.

Daisuke sweat dropped – Dark must have been really out of it... but why?

"Dark?"

"Huh?" Dark snorted in reply before looking up at his host who wasn't his host at the moment since they weren't sharing the same body. "What's the matter?"

"Besides you?" the redhead half-joked before getting serious again, "What's the matter?"

"Well, how should I put it simply..." Dark put on a show of thinking deeply, "... Let's just say that getting out of this world isn't going to be easy."

"I know that, but it's not impossible, is it?"

"Oh, and did I mention that this isn't a world of a piece of artwork?"

"...

WHAT!"

((As I expected...))

-

"Opposing elements? How will that be helpful to us? I mean... I know how it works, but it's extremely complicated..."

"You're the only one who remembers that ritual. It was the one thing that only a Time Keeper was taught. No one else knows it."

"And you know that doing what you're about to do is more risky. Why are you even considering it?"

"We can't let whoever did this get away from it, Akane, and you know that. It's a danger to the world's balance, and we can't let that happen. YOU can't let that happen."

"..."

"We know that you want to do what is right, but that scroll holds more forbidden magic than all of us put together."

"Then how did Celes get a hold of it?"

"I believe the question is how did you find it?"

"Being a Time Keeper has more than you would think. You all know that."

"Then you know the outcomes to this?"

"Maybe..."

"Akane, stop playing around with us. This is serious."

The girl sighed in reply and turned away from the elements true forms. They could be so demanding sometimes, and she knew what was going to happen, but the future could only be determined when it actually happened. Even she didn't have the ability to say what would happen in the near future.

"Scarlet-"

"When I know, I'll let you know. And as for scroll, I can handle it and I'm not asking for anyone to take my place. No one can understand the danger it holds."

"And neither do you!" exclaimed Clef indignantly, the sprit of Lightning. "That's why we can't allow you to do it!"

"But you can't stop me." Akane swung the pendant nonchalantly. "As a Time Keeper..."

"... Why do you keep running away from us?"

"Because..." she closed her eyes and willed the spirits away before they could hear the last of her sentence. "Because...

I don't even know myself."

-

The light that fell through the window was the first thing that woke Riku up. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath and pulled the covers over her head to block the light.

"Wake up!" called someone down the hallway. She remained silent, falling asleep again until someone opened the door to her bedroom.

"Riku! You have to wake up now!" Risa whined, pouting slightly. She tugged the covers away from her older sister's head, but Riku just ended up glaring blearily at her.

"Go 'way. Sleepy."

"That's not like you at all!" commented the younger twin, finding it almost amusing for some reason.

"That's 'cause I had this really bad dream..." mumbled Riku. "Why does all the nightmares have to have that stupid perverted Dark in it...?"

"Riku! He's not a pervert!"

"Is so!"

Risa frowned at Riku, who just frowned back until the younger was forced to retreat from the room in a huff. Sliding out of her bed and pushing her hair back in the process, Riku sighed and blinked in a mirror that hung from the wall.

"Why was I dreaming that in the first place, though?" she asked herself out loud, "And why was I dreading that Niwa-kun would disappear? I've had this feeling before as well..."

"Riku! Breakfast!"

"Coming!" she called back, turning away and changing out of her pajamas.

'Why do I get this feeling like something's wrong...?'

-

Satoshi was still thinking over what he had researched on his way to school and Krad was being silent. Again. It wasn't that unnerving, since the blonde did go silent for the majority of the days since he'd appeared, but something about the silence now was a bit too strange for its own good.

He wondered if he should actually ask, but the blonde would only speak if he was ready.

Still, one had to wonder...

-

"Opposing elements..."

What was it she was afraid of?

"Forbidden magic that was sealed away many years ago..."

Why was she so scared of the results?

"What is the connection?"

Why wasn't she telling anyone?

Akane shut her mind from the questions and took a look at the azure sky.

"It's so pretty today..."

She knew what she was doing, but was it the right thing?

-

And that's the end of my (rather short-ish) chapter. I don't know what I'm truly aiming from this, but I know I'll get there eventually. And everyone mentioned has one role or another, so yeah. I'm just glad I managed to finish it.

I THINK I'll talk about what Krad's thinking in the next chap, where Windia is and how Daisuke reacts to this. Also, the scroll/ritual thing, and what's with the opposing elements all the time? It'll be answered sooner or later, so yeah.

Oh, about the place Dark and Daisuke are at. I was playing Breath of Fire2, so that's where they are gamewise. I mean, I couldn't just make my own world – too confusing for me, so I'm just using that. Heh… I'm so pathetic.

- Talkback...

- Blue-Angels-Wings: uh... yeah, things have happened. Don't think I made it very clear for everyone. Oh well. Thanks for the review!


	7. Chapter 6: Trial and Error

I managed to continue this, but hell, it's taking a long time. Don't know why, it just is. I'm getting there, though. Okay, now I'm in turmoil. From now on, Krad's in _italics_. When he's speaking, obviously. And some question marks mayn't come up, butI hope we can work it out.Sorry about all this.

Warnings/Disclaimers: Does it really matter? I think we all know already.

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Chapter 6: Trial and Error

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_There is a place called home, a place I once knew._

_A place that was lost, never to be reborn._

_Shattered souls found themselves lost in the midst of evil and there was nowhere to run._

_An evil was awake._

_And it would not fade._

000

_:Satoshi-sama:_

:Krad: that was a difference, having the blonde talking in an almost civil tone that didn't involve the usual hostility and sadistic rituals. The blue-haired boy had been up for most of the night and the whole day and wasn't in the most coherent of moods. :What is it:

_:You were asking and questioning the Thief's whereabouts, correct: This seemed to arouse the boys interest and he sat up. :I don't think it takes a genius to work that out.:_

_:Well, it seems he's in another parallel world, or a complete different dimension.:_ Krad began slowly, wondering how he'd been able to get this information in the first place. _:And the only way to get there is to use Opposing Elements against each other – in other words, a sacrifice.:_

:And how are we to do that:

_:Don't you see, Satoshi-sama? We can't do it._

_We're missing the Darkness.:_

000

_In a land that was not my own, was not familiar, was... not home. It was a strange land, a land that would become my new home. But the yearning to return was strong, and I am at a lost._

_There are others, many other, in that very position, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Nothing that not even the strongest person can do to change it._

_There is no hope._

_There is no life._

000

:So you're saying...: started Satoshi.

_:The Opposing Elements ritual will only work if the sacrifice is in the power of Light and Dark.:_ finished the Krad simply. _:And without it, there is no chance that anyone could make it to the other side safely.:_

Silence.

_:You see, there is no hope.:_

No answer.

_:Satoshi-sama:_

:... Takada might know something.: the blue-haired boy began slowly:She was a Time Keeper, right? So the answer would lie with her.:

_:Foolish boy:_ there was a mirthless laughter that hung around them, _:The girl is the ONLY Time Keeper. When one lives, the other is non-existent. Why do you think that she is the only one of her... blood-line? Since that single mistake, she is the last child known to be the mix of both Hikari and Niwa. And what makes you think that she will hand over an answer? She hasn't done it before.:_

Satoshi frowned at this, the light streaming into his room in the process. Just then, his alarm went off, but he paid no heed to it as he continued:What do you mean by that? And who says that she won't help. She's worried as well, isn't she:

Krad inclined his head at this before answering his host's questions, _:A Time Keeper is one who holds both the blood of the Hikari and the Niwa. Because it is against all laws of nature, there is very few who have that blood – to put it simply, no one in this time, or the past time, or the time before that. Takada is the very last of the cross-blood and if she was to die, then the Flames would perish.:_

_:Like Dark and I, we aren't human.:_

:... Are you saying that...:

_:Correct. Like the rest of us, she is merely a Spirit in the end.:_

000

_It hurt so much, and there wasn't anywhere to run. The truth us too great to speak about, and yet it is there._

_We can't run forever._

000

Akane looked around as students filed into the school and frowned: she couldn't find Satoshi anywhere. Not that it surprised her, he was the strange person in many ways.

But it was important, and, if anything, he HAD to be here.

No good wishing it though, she decided, hitching her bag up a notch. He must have been researching or something again.

Opposing elements...

The former Time Keeper sighed and entered the building, dreading of what would happen next.

Nothing was safe, as of now.

000

_:A Time Keeper is an actual power, granted to those... type of people:_ Krad explained patiently, _:Which also means that they cannot leave their post – home, if you will – and are completely isolated from the rest. It's very rare to see them out of that area.:_ he added as an afterthought.

:Then why were there others: asked Satoshi, finally bothering to get out of bed, even if he was too late to go to school:Why was she with Celes and those other people:

_:Maybe she was an exception, who knows:_ the blonde shrugged it off without a care in the world._ :But the consequence of leaving their post of usually death. What made this time any different:_

The blue-haired boy stopped when he noticed that Krad was touching a more thoughtful topic that really meant he was musing out loud. But, then again, how come he knew so much about the history of the Time Keepers? Who were they in the first place? He frowned at this, but decided to think about it later.

Morning rituals... he was late for school. Satoshi scowled at this and decided that he best not go for that day. Instead, he went back to concentrating on his blonde enigma.

:Have you done mumbling to yourself: he asked.

_:It depends.:_

:Tch. This isn't like you at all.:

_:You're wondering about how much I know about this ritual and the Time Keepers, correct:_ Krad had hit the nail on the head.

:Yes. Now will you tell me without going off track again:

_:Fine. But it's not that exciting, now that I think about it.:_

000

_Scarlet smiled brightly, watching the Priestess as she went on her duties. Only five, the small girl was incredibly energetic and was constantly on the move, creating a commotion wherever she went._

There's a truth in every story.

"_Scarlet! How many times do I have to tell you to stay put?" asked Celes in exasperation. "Oh, why can't you be a bit more calm at this time..."_

"_When do I get to see mum and dad!" demanded the younger girl, "Come on, Celes! You promised!"_

_There was an awkward silence, "They... they can't make it," replied the older one briskly, "Business plans."_

"_What!" the girl's voice hitched up a notch in indignation, "You lied!" Without another word, she ran off._

It was always the innocent ones who were hurt first. And then... it went downhill.

"_Krad... of the Hikari. Correct?"_

"_How do you know me..."_

"_As the only one left of the Time Keepers, it's my duty to watch over those with this blood."_

"_..."_

"_You wish to know what a Time Keeper is?_

_Well, seeing as there isn't much time left for me, I guess it won't hurt. And Celes won't miss me."_

000

The Hikari and Niwa clans were ancient families, passing on from generation to generation. Artworks, theft, magic, the beauty of it all was lost. Sealed in each clan was a 'demon', and that was what kept the balance.

But when the blood was mixed, they were considered a curse, more than the curse that the Hikari seemed to have, and it was one that could only lead to death. And yet, they were needed to keep the Time in place, as well as the other elements.

But no one but the Time Keepers knew it, and that was that. They were beings that lived on forever.

But when one was born, the other died. That was their fate.

Once in place, the child with the blood was sealed into a world that was not their own and kept there until another was born. And if they ever showed signs of rebellion or escape, they died. And with that, the Flame would consume the spirits around it, and then the worlds would cease to exist.

There is no escape, and no other option.

There was no hope in that life.

And yet, it was their fate.

000

_:You see? Not even remotely interesting, and that was the shortened version of it.:_ Krad suddenly yawned to exaggerate that he wasn't going to do anymore. _:If you want to ask more, I'll answer them some other time. Good night, Satoshi-sama.:_

The blonde fell silent at that and left Satoshi to think over what he had just been shown. Not that the information surprised him that much, but Krad was right: How came Akane was able to leave the realm of Time and live here in the first place?

And there still wasn't a proper explanation on the Opposing Elements. And if Dark and Light had to be sacrificed...

In the end, it was just another confusing matter.

He could talk to Akane, but would she provide the answers wanted? Or would she avoid them, as always. Then something came back to him.

"_But if you're willing to help me, I'll gladly accept."_

That's what she'd said. And he was willing to help.

That meant she had to answer his questions now...

Right?

000

_Standing here as winds do blow, I can hear you calling out to me. You want this to end now. It hurts, it hurts so much. I can feel your pain and I'm sorry._

_I want to help, but I'm not strong enough. What can I do? I'm nothing, I'm useless. It's impossible._

_Keep blowing, Winds of Balance, make your voices heard._

_Maybe then they will hear you._

_And then peace will come at last._

000

School had been more quiet than most, and the Harada twins were back, so the main focus was on them. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that made it seem out of place. Just a normal school with normal students and a normal life.

And yet, it was so unsettling.

Upon the arrival of the Niwa house, Akane sighed, wondering what she was getting herself into. It was insane, and she was going to go through a lot of hurt by the time it was over.

And Satoshi never came. So the other plan was not going to move anywhere.

Knocking the door gently, she was greeted by Emiko, who still looked pale faced. Reassuring the distressed mother, they went to the main living room and Akane muttered a few things under her breath.

By the time Celes arrived, everything was ready. Candles were placed on the floor, while a pure white circle was drawn in the middle and Akane was sitting there, cross-legged and biting her lip.

"So you came." She whispered.

"Scarlet, there is nothing more dangerous than you risking your life in a two person requirement ritual," the priestess said softly. It was clear that she was still in an unforgiving mood. "So. Shall we begin?"

Without hesitation, the girl nodded.

000

_A dream to finally be free again, something in the impossible category. It's sad to think that way, but still..._

_Have we sunk so low?_

000

The rest of the Niwa family were standing by the doorframe that connected the hallway to the living room, entranced at what they saw. It wasn't like they knew nothing of magic, but this ritual seemed to be fairly different than most.

Akane was the only one standing in the circle, arms placed before her as Celes did the chanting; magic was concentrated on feeding the candle flames and the remainder of the magic was trailed within the small space. Both girl's eyes were closed and the chanting was so soft that even the words could not be identified, like the wind that blew around them with no sense of direction.

The circle channeled more energy until Akane was completely engulfed by it and, for a moment, there was silence.

The priestess looked surprised, "Did it... work?" as the words left her mouth, there was a flash and Akane collapsed on the floor, panting for a moment.

"Ha... guess we failed," she commented lightly, getting up and walking past the Niwas, who were shocked. Emiko followed behind her closely.

"What about Daisuke!" she asked desperately.

"This wasn't the only way," replied Akane, "there's another. Don't worry, Mrs. Niwa, I know what to do." She then turned to smile at the other Niwas, "It'll be okay." She ignored Celes, but did toss the scroll in the girl's direction. "Thank you, Celes." Then she left.

"..."

"Her left arm," muttered Kosuke, "There was..."

"Blood," finished Celes lightly, "But this was not to happen."

"What?"

"If this ritual was to fail," the Priestess explained, "Then it requires a sacrifice. How she was able to escape it, I do not know. Now, if you will excuse me..." Without another word, she left.

"Sacrifice?" breathed Daiki.

"Oh, Daisuke..." Emiko whispered.

000

Ignoring the pain in her left arm, Akane managed to walk most of the way home without too much trouble. But when the after effects weren't something to be ignored and she winced. It hurt, but it was better then dying off completely.

Before Celes had come for the ritual – how had she known how it was performed without reading the scroll? – the redhead had managed to cast a basic, unreadable and practically faultless, which meant that the failure didn't end up killing her in the end.

But it wasn't like she got away without any sort of injury, as the blood seeped through her uniform and she stifled a pained sigh.

Opposing Elements.

Would it be possible?

000

"Takada."

"Eh?" Akane turned, "Hiwatari-kun?"

The next day and Satoshi had been standing by the gates entrance, obviously waiting. The girl seemed surprised at this, "Is something the matter?"

"I think you know the answer to that," the blue-haired boy replied, "You said that if I wanted to help, then you'd allow it, correct?"

She nodded.

"In that case, you have to answer some questions."

"... ah..."

000

"Hey, look! It's Hiwatari-kun!"

Some squealing fans of Satoshi rushed past the Harada twins, who were also nearing the gate. Riku inclined her head slightly – still in jet-lag mood – and didn't look too happy about the loud noises around her.

"Why can't they just keep quiet once in a while?" she muttered, "Almost as bad as the Dark fans..."

"Riku!" reprimanded Risa, "You should be more respectful about Dark-san!"

"What! He's a pervert!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Yeesh, whatever," knowing that there would be no end if they kept up the argument, Riku turned away, "But... I wonder where Niwa-kun is... he wasn't here yesterday."

"Maybe he isn't feeling too well," suggested Risa.

"..." The short-haired twin seemed thoughtful, 'No, that isn't it. He was fine when I met him, so why...

'Why do I keep getting this feeling that something's wrong? Something is terribly wrong...'

"Riku! Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

"Ah! Coming!"

000

Yeah, a lot of talking, strange happenings... you get the picture. Not much else to it really. We see Dark and Daisuke in the next chapter, though, so it's all cool.

Talkback:

Uh... well, no one's been really reading this, so I'll leave it at that.

But to Kosmic Kitty, thanks for reviewing and I'm so glad that you're reading my stuff, although... well, yeah. (insert self conscious musings.) Thanks a lot!


	8. Chapter 7: Do You Trust Me?

Yeah, this chapter explains a bit more of Dark and Daisuke's predicament.

Random musings: something tells me I should give up. I don't know why, but no one cares and it seems to tell me I should stop now. But I can't and I won't. Why? Because I plan to finish this, even is no one read it. Yeah, I'm a bit on the self-thinking something side.

Disclaimers: I OWN NOTHING.

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Chapter 7: Do You Trust Me?

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"Okay, so now do you understand what I was trying to say?" Dark asked, while wondering how long it would take his former host to understand their situation. The redhead seemed to be refusing to take the obvious into account, it would seem.

"Are you absolutely sure that this is really a world other than the artworks!" he asked for the twelfth time that night.

Dark rolled his eyes, "Yes, definitely. Now, can you ask something more original now?"

"I'm just making sure," muttered Daisuke, looking hurt, "How can you tell, anyway?"

"To put it simply, it's the aura of the magic that one; sent us here, and two; the fact that that one single painting doesn't actually have the power to send us here," explained the Thief, "That and the fact that it was sealed away, what power was left in it."

"Oh..."

There was a moment of silence as the redhead tried to make head and tail of the explanation. Although it had been discussed and explained for a number of times, it still seemed a bit too out of it to be true. He, of course, took the idea to his alter ego. "I know the last time something like this happened, it was because someone – or something else – activated it, right? Like Towa-chan and the Sage of Sleep, and my painting and the Second Hand of Time..."

"Yeah, I'm guessing that someone was tampering with it as well," agreed Dark, "But, like I said before, this isn't the work of the Hikari. So... how could anyone else send us somewhere else with that as the main focus?" He was thoughtful for but a moment, and then brushed himself off and stood up, "Anyway, enough chatter. Let's get going."

"Huh?" Daisuke looked confused, "Get going where?" Dark began to fiddle with the lock.

"Where else? Out of here."

"Eh! But... where are we supposed to go after that?" stuttered the boy, looking worried, "I mean, we don't even know where we are, and then we might get lost, and then"

"You know, you're better when you're actually thinking straight, rather than saying junk that I don't care about," snorted Dark. "Come on, out is better than here."

"Yeah, but..."

The Thief ignored him and went back to messing around with the lock. It wasn't that hard, seeing as the design was rather old, and he was just about to open the door when voices reached his ears and he motioned for Daisuke to listen as well.

"So the King is going to execute them?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard. They are strange beings though. No doubt about it."

"Very weird. They deserve to die."

"..."

"See?" hissed Dark, seeing that the boy was too shocked to do anything, "That's why we need to get out of here now."

"..."

Once the footsteps and voices faded to nothing, Dark tugged the door open and fell back when he noticed that he was face-to-face with a surprised Kara. Daisuke was forced to place a hand over the Thief's mouth while the maid just blinked.

"You..." she started, pointing at them, "You... opened that lock... wow... so I didn't need to..."

"Uh, Kara-san. What are you doing here?" asked Daisuke. When she had finally recovered, the maid just shrugged, tossing the keys next to an unconscious guard that lay next to her.

"I guess you heard that they're going to execute you," she explained simply, "So I thought I'd help you guys out." She began to walk off and waved for them to follow. "Come on, there isn't much time."

Dark seemed fairly suspicious as he pulled Daisuke back, who had just begun to move to follow the maid. "What are you trying to pull?" he asked.

Kara raised an eyebrow at the question, "I'm not pulling anything. Why do you ask?"

"I haven't met a person yet who would help without wanting something in return," the Thief said. The redhead next to him seemed surprised, "Wow, this is the first time I've seen you so serious. And to suspect a girl, of all people." It was rather ironic.

"Hey, you're the one who was scared to leave," Dark retorted, before turning his attention back to Kara, "Well?"

"_Well_, now that you mention it, I do want something for this," she said slowly, thinking, "I mean... you don't have to accept, and I will still let you go, but..."

"But?"

"I want to join up with you guys to travel around." She burst out.

There was silence and Dark looked like he didn't understand. Daisuke waved a hand in front of the Thief's face for a moment. "Dark?"

"Wha?"

Kara placed her hands on her hips, "So, how's that for an answer. This palace is completely crawling with guards, but I know the way out of here without too much trouble. Until we get your names cleared from... whatever you're being accused of, I think it's best that we lie low. Besides," she added brightly, "I've always wanted to travel around without the whole 'you're a maid here so you can't go' thing. Princess Nina was allowed to go, but that was an exception..." she trailed off at that and then looked over at the two boys expectantly.

"Well..." Daisuke started, while Dark was still trying to comprehend the one sentence. "It's okay with me. How about you, Dark?"

"Hm..."

She almost smiled, "So then, let's get a move on."

000

Ever since the fall of Deathevn, I keep on thinking that something is amiss. I don't even know what it is, but it isn't a good feeling, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Even when I try to forget about it, it just keeps coming back unbidden to my mind. It's strange, and I know it can't be good.

Maybe it's because of the two prisoners.

Yes, that would be the case. They really do look different from the people here, or in the other towns, although I have to put that against the Woren clans. Kat was a nice girl, though, so I shouldn't be complaining.

And yet, my own father is going to execute these people before even confronting them. That isn't like him at all; my father was always a just person, so even if they came from a strange flash of light, I really do think that they should have a chance to speak.

Maybe it's because it reminds them of Deathevn. That might be why I'm so worried now, so restless. We destroyed it, and yet, there it is, hovering around us.

Or is it because we lost Mina, because of Deathevn? My own sister, she did it for us... I know that I can always see her, but it isn't the same. I want Mina back.

I think I should talk to father about this. He has to remember that he is still controlling a country. I just hope that he listens to me. He always has, but...

He's changed.

000

Kara led the way, weaving past a variety of staircases and strange rooms full of ornamented and priceless decorations. Cold stone bricks graced as the walls and tall tapestries and the like hung over them, as well as the candle interval.

And the place was silent. And not just the 'no one's talking silent'; it was strangely... eerie. Daisuke shuddered slightly as he kept behind Dark, who was following Kara, who was still leading them down the forbidding looking area.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he finally decided to ask, if not just to break the silence.

"Yes, because how many people do you think would want to walk around here in the dead of night?" She turned her head slightly to give them both a good look, "Because of this, most maids and servants won't be hanging around to sound off the alarm."

"How about the guards?" Daisuke pointed out.

A shrug, "You just stay in the shadows and if we run into any, I'll deal with them."

"Right, and I'm supposed to trust you with that," muttered Dark. "Ah well, that's a Thief's job." At this, the redhead behind him blinked at that and instantly wondered if his alter ego was going to start stealing pieces of artwork again.

Their words seemed to echo and bounce around them, leaving a trail of faded voices around them. After a moment of walking and hostile thinking as such, footsteps from the other end of the incredibly long hallway made the three stop and Dark and Daisuke had to flatten themselves against the shadowed areas, since there were candles every few meters. Kara was holding a candle and looked unabashed as she came face to face with one of the guards, who looked through his huge helmet thing.

"What are you doing here?" he finally decided to ask. "You know that this is just a dead end."

"But I have to dump this rubbish for Madam," replied the maid, holding up a sack that looked as shabby as... well, it was shabby. "And she doesn't want me to come back until I've done that."

"I... see..." there was an awkward silence. "Well, carry on then." Then he tramped away with the loud resounding footsteps behind him, nearly walking into Daisuke and failed to notice them and continued on his rounds.

"Okay, that was lame," Dark commented. "Now can we just get going already?"

"Right. I think he was drunk," Kara scratched the back of her head, thinking it over, "Booze gets passed around from guard to guard, so you can never tell."

"..." Daisuke sweat dropped and they continued on their way.

000

The sound of someone entering his room made the king of Windia look up expectantly, if not warily, since it was the middle of the night. He relaxed when he noticed that it was only his daughter. "Nina, is something the matter?"

"Your Majesty," began the black-winged princess, bowing slightly, "I wish to speak to you about the prisoners that are currently held within the dungeons." The looked up in time to see his father frown at this and wondered if it was a good idea anymore.

"And why is it that you wish to ask about them?" he said slowly.

"Well, you are going to execute them tomorrow morning, correct?" Nina replied, "And I was wondering as to why they do not even get a chance to speak for themselves."

"Ah... daughter, you must know that thieves and wanderers are ones to lie from time to time."

"Then how come they don't even get a chance"

"Enough, Nina. You must remember your place. It is the only way to keep our country safe," he sighed in defeat, "And I must continue to trust others. And... Mina."

Silence.

"Yes, Nina. There may be a way to help her."

000

"Okay, so from here I press..." began Kara, muttering more to herself than anything else. Dark had his arms crossed and was frowning while he waited for something to actually happen. It wasn't like HE was worried about what was wrong, but there was that one nagging feeling that just wouldn't leave him alone, no matter what.

And that alone was enough to annoy him.

Kara was currently fiddling with a strange looking mechanism and was too preoccupied to say much else on the matter, and it was at least three minutes before the wall seemed to slide open and she turned. "Ta-da! And there you have it!"

"Uh... where does this lead to?" asked Daisuke, seeing as it was night and you really couldn't see much in the first place.

"To the town, that's all," she answered, hitching the sack over her shoulder, "We can get some items there and then we'll move off. That way no one will notice that you're gone until it's too late to do anything."

"But won't they notice that we're not there?"

"No. Since you two were insanely... let's just say placid, the guards won't think about actually checking inside, so it should be fine."

"And what about YOUR absence," Dark pointed out.

"Oh, no one likes me for some reason and they won't point out my absence in hope of getting me in trouble," she said, shrugging. "So first, we need to go to the item shop."

"Huh? But it's the dead of night. How are we supposed to buy stuff?"

"Shops tend to be open 24 hours a day."

"How... very convenient."

"That's what I always thought."

When they finally got out, they were met with the inky-black sky before them with dim lights that filled the house just a few meters away from where they just stood. It really was a serene place, but there wasn't any time to think about that.

"Let's move move move!"

((She really is a psychopath. No wonder they don't like her.))

(Huh? I can hear your thoughts...)

((Eh, what difference does it make. If something really bad happens, just ignore it.))

(... Right, I would rather not ask what you were hinting back there.)

The two boys exchanged looks before moving on behind Kara, who seemed a bit too enthusiastic for her own good.

((I don't trust her.))

((Just keep your guard up, no matter what Daisuke.))

(Okay...)

The town itself seemed homely enough, although there was the odd guard here and there in case of sudden and for no reason brawls. It was clear that most of the people who lived here were definitely asleep and would pay no attention to what happened outside unless they were involved.

Stone pavements and the odd sign directing the people and travelers where they wanted to go seemed essential and Kara soon entered a shop with a really large sign over it. Dark and Daisuke hurried after her.

000

"What are you trying to say?" whispered Nina, caught by surprise by the sudden change of conversation. "Are you saying that there is a way to get Mina back to normal?"

A slow nod was received, "Yes. You see, it's an ancient spell, but it requires blood. A lot of it."

"..."

"That is, if it came from the townspeople. Others that don't even come from this land is a different story, as I am told."

"But... that's wrong!" cried the princess, "Your Majesty, you just can't kill people like that! Who told you this!"

"Princess Nina, it may be the only way to get the younger princess back," said a reedy voice behind her. She spun around in shock and gazed at the person draped from head to foot in robes. The person continued to talk, "It is the only way. If you wish for your sister to be back, please stop interrupting your father's wishes."

The black-winged princess bit back a comment and left without another word, suspicion haunting her thoughts.

She had never seen that person before... where had they come from?

000

Dark had a look of pure boredom plastered on his face once Kara had finished the required rounds. "Are you done yet? I want to get some sleep." If he'd still been in Daisuke, he would have been snoring away, but no, that wasn't the case.

"Oh? I see," she eyes both boys, who were equipped with weapons and cloaks, as well as a simple supply of requirements each and nodded. "Okay, you're both ready. Finally, we can get out of here."

((Don't tell me we're really going with this maniac. Something tells me we're going to get in a lot of trouble.))

(Dark, with you, nothing is a lot of trouble.)

((Hey! What are you trying to say!))

(Oh, nothing, nothing.)

It was a cool night anyway, as the three made their first steps out of town, only for someone to shout out a warning behind them. "OI! You there!"

Daisuke immediately stiffened, "We're busted, aren't we?"

"Over my dead body," growled Dark, one hand on the cross-hilt of his sword.

"Wait," Kara cut in, before turning to the guard on watch, "Is something the matter, sir?"

"I thought it would be best to warn you three that there're monsters about, you know." Came back the called reply.

"Don't worry! We'll be fine!"

There was a number of mumbles with that reply and the redhead inclined his head as they left into the open plains, where only a scattering of trees and the vast sky above them stretched out.

"Monsters?" he asked.

"Yup. You know, evil things that kill and eat you. Don't worry, it's not like we're going to die."

"You just said kill though," Dark pointed out.

"Oh, but we'll be FINE."

Just then they heard growling that was definitely un-animal like and Dark hit his forehead.

"This is just... great."

000

Yeah. Next chapter might be up soon. Might be up never. I'm just working on other fics at the moment, so that's my reasoning.

Well, hope you enjoyed it if you read it. All in all, I don't think it's that bad. Although I do have to get Akane to speak up a but more. (hahahaha…) Satoshi confronts her next chapter...


	9. Chapter 8: Two and One

Random talking and… yeah. Akane and Satoshi talk and Riku is very suspicious… and worried.

Random musings: Well what do you know. I continued. I mean, I can't remember what I really wanted said in this chapter, but whatever. I'll remember one day…

Disclaimers: DNAngel does not belong to me, etc, etc.

000000000000000000

Chapter 8: Two and One

0000000000000000000

The mob of fangirls cut the conversation short between Akane and Satoshi, but the aforementioned person didn't seem that worried about the interruption. Rather, she nodded over in his direction and made a sign over her head, trying to indicate that they would discuss the matter later and he shook his head as he watched her leave. The situation was a dangerous one – he knew that now – and the longer they took to get to where they wanted to go, the bigger the chance that Daisuke and Dark would die. Being trapped anywhere always led to something like that, and he really wasn't looking forward to the consequences if they failed.

Luckily Satoshi was saved from losing much needed oxygen as the school bell rang out clear over their heads and all the students were ushered into class without much protest.

The sky was so clear, yet so forbidding.

Krad's words still filled his mind as Satoshi entered the building, and it was slightly disturbing. Knowing about the Time Keepers, learning about how the Opposing Elements could be used...

What did they know that he didn't? Something had to be done, and done soon.

Before it was too late.

---

Towa, the Symbol of Eternity, watched as the situation and scenarios passed by, still trying to find a way to locate the Niwas only son. They were frantic with worry about him, and she could understand; without him she would still be stuck on top of the lighthouse and that wasn't a very pleasant way to spend the rest of your life. And he was pretty cute and kind, and caring and considerate...

She shook her head firmly and continued to clean up the small amount of mess that had been created after tea. Ma'am Emiko was so worried and she looked like a mess, having not slept properly since her son and his alter ego's disappearance. Her husband, as well as her father, were trying to calm her down, but they looked just as anxious.

With a small sigh, Towa turned back to her cleaning up and then retreated into another room; the room which held the Painting that Dark had been sent to steal.

"I wonder..." she mused to herself, "I wonder if it is possible that..." she ran a finger lightly over the dusty frame for a moment and then frowned. She had been searching for a magic reaction – any sort would be fine now – but she got nothing. Did it mean that the magic had faded? And so quickly?

Pushing some stray bangs out of the way, the Symbol of Eternity grumbled under her breath and then tried to calm herself down a bit. This was to let her searching skills actually work: it had been way too long since she'd used her own personal abilities, so it looked like she was going to have to start from scratch again.

With both eyes closed and her hands lingering over the painting, Towa concentrated on whatever there was left of this life. She knew that, as a Hikari painting, it had to have some special qualities, but at the moment... she couldn't sense anything.

'Well, that's different,' she admitted to herself as she focused again.

She didn't know exactly what she was searching for, but anything would be a good thing now. Or was the painting dead? If that was so, didn't that mean that there was no way back? She dreaded to even think of that as the only option; and only if Dark and Daisuke were still alive. Who knew now.

Emiko was so depressed: despite her quirky nature and somewhat overly childish demeanor when it concerned Dark, she loved her son to no end and this was breaking her heart.

She was worried as well. If it hadn't been for the tamer, then… well, she would still be alone on top of the lighthouse. And the Niwa family were so kind to her… and it was all thanks to Daisuke.

Pulling back a strand of hair, Towa went back to concentrating, trying to find at least one thread of life. Why was it so hard? She was the one who specialised in this sort of area. It was her expertise! But there was something definitely different this time round.

Who would have the power to do such a thing?

Was there anything that they could do about it at this point?

---

Staring out the window, it wasn't like Satoshi needed to hear the teacher anyway. They could go on forever, trying to explain one thing or another, and he already knew everything, so there was no point listening to them rambling on about one thing or another.

It was a pretty pointless subject in the end, anyway.

But the boy's focus was elsewhere, and he couldn't help but think about it, ever since it had begun. And how that one simple scenario had led to a whole chain of events that seemed rather ridiculous in its own measures. Where was the point in all of this?

And why was Niwa and Dark dragged into it as well? There seemed to be no logical explanation. There was no real reason as to why they were pulled into it, and no one was really explaining anything to Satoshi, which bugged him senseless. And he knew, for a fact, that that particular art piece didn't hold such magical properties, so, as it was said, someone had tampered with it beforehand.

Why? He had absolutely no idea.

Maybe that was the most confusing part in it all.

To any other normal person looking out the window because they were bored, it would have been a blank and dreary day, where the most they had to worry about was making a fool of themselves by accident and if they had enough money to pay the rent; but there had to be more to it. And since Satoshi was part of a clan that used magical artifacts, he was definitely more in tune with the proceedings of the unseen forces than some random person off the street.

And he wasn't getting the answers he wanted.

Just as he began to drift off into the never ending spiral of confusion and obvious doom, something hit him hard on the head. And the direction it came from was the open window.

Nearly hitting his head on the desk, Satoshi immediately jerked his head to look down at the grounds below, almost expecting to see some students running around with a soccer ball; but the problem with that particular explanation was that they were on the third floor, and it was impossible for an object to hit him with that much force if it had to go oh so high.

This clearly confused him, but what could he do about it? What did it mean? Was it supposed to mean anything in the first place?

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

---

_Why is it that only some can hear your voice? Why is it that it had to happen in the first place?_

_Why do I know this?_

_Why am I so afraid?_

---

The voice of the teacher washed over the students within the classroom, where most people didn't seem to be paying much attention to. It was rather distracting, to say the least, but it wasn't like they could do anything about it, and there was still so many unanswered questions floating around.

And she was also well-aware of the fact that Satoshi was now trying to get them from her.

Akane stifled a small sigh and tugged at a stray bang, her other hand holding onto her pen which was merely twirled around because she was paying no heed as to what their teacher was actually saying. There was so much at stake, and here she was, sitting around and not saying anything. Not to mention that she wasn't informing the select few people around that actually knew of the situation, and she didn't know why.

Was it that she didn't trust them? Did she think of them unworthy and not capable of dealing with such a situation? Or was she scared of herself and the fate that stretched out before them?

Either way, she knew that she couldn't avoid them forever, and seeing that Satoshi was the first one trying to interrogate her now, she might as well tell him as much as she knew.

But what did she know?

Those were the pieces of the puzzled that she couldn't place. Some were fact, some myth, the rest coming from listening and watching for many, many years. Then there was the fact that the little voices in her head wouldn't leave her alone, and that was an annoyance in itself.

Could they really help it? Why did she have to live life like that? Sure, she was born with blood that shouldn't have been, but how… just how had it happened? And why was it now that something was happening when it shouldn't be? Time Keeper or not, this had been a really unexpected plot twist that she didn't like the second it had reared its ugly head at them.

Who was behind it?

Not to mention that, just somehow, a certain other was getting pulled into it without even noticing. How was it that the strings of fate and destiny worked anyway? The redhead couldn't place it, and it honestly annoyed her beyond words.

She stifled a sigh and tried to remember what she had been thinking about. There were so many missing pieces of the puzzle; the ritual, the painting, the magical reactions… when was it going to end?

---

"Niwa-kun isn't here again…" commented Risa, as if no one besides herself had noticed. It was the middle of class though, so she only said it loud enough for her twin to hear, who looked ready to snap.

The feeling of uneasiness had left Riku and this was only enough to confirm whatever fears they were. She didn't want to know the truth as to why he wasn't around; and besides, they had talked just a few days back. How was it connected to now!

Not to mention something had happened when she had been yelling at that stupid thief whoever it really was, and that hadn't helped matters at all.

He seemed fine that night when they'd returned; being the klutzy boy he was, and overly cheerful and the like, so why hadn't he come then? Sure, there was a chance that he was late, but even so… the nagging feeling was still there, tugging at the back of her mind; and she didn't like it one bit. It was like a warning, like he wasn't there anymore…

Like he had been taken away somewhere…

Why? Why now! The last time she had felt this was during the time that her class had done the Ice and Snow play, and Dark had been pulled into it and then something had happened to the painting Daisuke had given her… and for those few days she had been so worried. So why was it happening again! She couldn't understand it at all!

And that worried her to pieces.

"Harada-san?"

The short-haired brunette looked up, only then noticing the fact that she had been called up to do… something. She didn't know what, seeing as she had been too worried about what had happened to Daisuke, and she merely blinked. "… Yes?"

"I asked a question."

"Uh, sir," Risa raised her hand, "I think it might be the jetlag, since we just got back from America, you see…"

The teacher nodded in understanding, "I see. Well then, how about you, Horii-san?"

While the chosen student stood up and gave the answer, Riku passed a silent 'thank you' to her sister and then went right back to musing, wondering, and worrying.

It wasn't like Daisuke at all to miss class without a plausible reason, but what could it be?

Just asking herself that increased her worry five times more.

---

Students trickled out of the building as the bell rang for the start of lunch, and Satoshi waited until the last few stragglers were out before he focused his attention on Akane, who was the only person who hadn't moved from her desk. If anything, it looked like she was asleep, but who knew.

As he expected, she sat up a little straighter and then turned to face him calmly. "Hiwatari-kun?"

"You said that if I wanted to help, you'd be glad of it," he stated simply, "And if I want to help, I need to know the truth as well. So spill it already."

Not looking the least bit phased, the girl gave a small smirk and stood up to stretch. It was obvious that no one was left in the building to hear them anyway, and she made her way to the window, watching the people below, who yelled, ran and had the time of their life without any worries in their heads.

"How can I tell you everything when I'm unsure as well?" she said coolly, "Most things have become quite scrambled, the threads of time aren't the most reliable sources one can use, and the information I've gathered over time can take a long time to piece. Rumors, facts, myths, they all lead to a truth in the end."

"Don't try stalling. It's gone on for long enough," Satoshi snapped, and even Krad seemed to stir within his conscienceless.

"Naturally." She shrugged, "But to put it simply, the balance has been toppled over the edge and the negative energy is now flowing this world, the connecting worlds, and who knows where else." Turning to face him, she continued, "The Balance is connected to the Elements, which, in turn, connects with other scared sources that are part of life and death, which, in turn, takes in the concept that the negatives and positives in life are always battling one another for dominance. But since they are equal in strength and power, it doesn't happen. BUT, if someone were to tamper with one part of the balance, then--" she nodded over in his direction, seeing that he had finally caught on to what she was trying to say.

"One side will become dominant," he finished flatly, "But what has this got to do with--"

"Niwa-kun?" Akane cut in, "Well, I suppose you could say that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it seems to be more than that.

"We know that someone was behind using that spell, and that Dark was there, which obviously only points to one thing, and perhaps it was only strong enough to absorb one person closest to them. Either way, that spell sent the balance off and now we're stuck like this."

"…"

Continuing, she frowned, as if wondering what else she could say without making it sound ridiculous, "I have a few assumptions as to where the two went, but if the last ritual didn't work… how are we going to get there…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Opposing Elements," she shrugged again, as if it was the most obvious thing around. "Regaining the lost balance to open a portal that will hopefully take us to where they are."

Satoshi stared at her, "We're missing the other half though."

This made her smile at him, like the irony of it all was just so entertaining, "So Krad already told you then, hm? Well, I should have expected as much. How much did he tell you anyway?"

"Enough for me to know that you're hiding a lot more from us than what you're telling."

Akane raised an eyebrow at this, perplexed, "I… see… well then, what else can I say? If they're in a different dimension, there's not much else we can do. The sacrifice failed, we don't have the other half for the opposing elements ritual, what more can you ask from me?" But her carefree manner obviously meant something else and Satoshi's scowl deepened.

"You know another way." He stated softly.

The smile was back, "What makes you think that, dear Hikari-san?"

"Don't call me that. And just tell us the other way."

It was strange, the redhead thought to herself, but despite the situation, she was having quite a lot of fine baiting the boy and seeing him annoyed. Although his face didn't alter that much, but it was clear that he wasn't the happiest of people at the moment; and the irritation increased with her refusing to answer his questions with a straight answer.

But what was the answer? She didn't even know it herself, so how could she tell him? Ah well, that was what happened.

"We could always try the Elemental Province Sector for the Practiced," she offered not-so-helpfully. His face was priceless and she suppressed a giggle, "But there is another way."

From there she stopped joking around and actually looked serious, the boy noted, "Raine and her brother, Ryu; I think they can help us with this. It's our only chance of getting the portal open, and we only get _one _chance. Not to mention it's using my own… methods, so you might want to think it over before agreeing."

"'Your methods' meaning?" Satoshi was past caring anyway; he would agree with it either way.

"A lot of old magical practices, chanting, and a hell of a lot of drainage on my part," she rattled off coolly, "And the use of the Flames might come into play. So, what do you say?"

He nodded once, "I'm going."

She blinked, but didn't seemed surprised at his decision, "Okay then. Looks like we'll be going tonight, hm? The Niwa residence… hm… let's say five. Get prepared for a long journey…"

Leaving the classroom without as much as a backwards glance, Akane was gone soon enough, leaving the boy and his curse to take in all that she had said and what was soon to happen.

:You really are putting your life on the line this time, Satoshi-sama.:

:And what's it to you? Anything new to you? About what she said:

The blonde thought for a moment::Not much, I suppose. But the Balance was something I never thought would be in any trouble.:

:I know that already.:

:What I'm confused with is this other-world-concept.:

:Aren't we all:

Walking over to the window, Satoshi watched the grounds below, unmoving; but on the whole, he was just contemplating. And very, very confused.

---

"Riku… Riku!"

"What?" spluttered the brunette, noticing the fact that she had been zoning out again. She mentally hit herself for being so stupid and all, but she just couldn't help it.

Risa seemed to notice this as well, and frowned in concern, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the nurse's office, Riku?"

She shook her head, offering a small smile, "No, I'm just fine. Really I am, Risa; don't worry about me."

Watching the two, Ritsuko could only mutter something off-hand, "I wonder what happened to Niwa-kun? It's not like him to miss class, really. And he seemed well recently. Do you think he got hurt? I mean, I know how much you wanted to see him, Riku, so, you know…"

Looking at the ground, Riku said nothing. She was so worried, beyond worried; what if something had happened to him? Could he be hurt somewhere? Was he at the hospital or something?

Hello-- dreadful scenario thoughts.

Trying to hide her distress was not going to work this time round, and she needed to find out what had happened soon.

And so her little conclusion to check on the Niwa household popped into her head and she was determined enough to see if he really was okay. She just had to know.

---

After school led to the sun sinking slowly below the horizon, with the doorbell of the Niwa household ringing almost pleadingly, if not just persistently. Ah well, whatever.

"Coming! Coming!" called Towa. She was completely drained, and was unsuccessful on receiving any sort of magic source from the painting. She was incredibly put off by that fact, but she had to keep up the cheerful front while there were guests around.

Pulling the door open, she blinked when she saw the short haired brunette human girl… Riku. Yes, she remembered that girl from The Second Hand of Time.

"Yes?" she perked up cheerfully, although she felt far from it.

"Aa… I'm Harada Riku, and… er… I'm a classmate of Niwa-kun's. I was wondering… is he okay?" she could see the desperation on the girl's face, and the Artwork sighed. What was she supposed to say now? That he was at the hospital? That he was just out? She wasn't one to lie…

"Naa… Riku-chan? What are you doing here?" pure puzzlement was fixed onto Akane's features and she looked from one person to another, trying to work out what was going on.

"Takada-san!" Riku looked equally puzzled, "I was checking on Niwa-kun is all! I mean, he wasn't here today and I got worried… he was fine just yesterday…"

"…" Akane shook her head slowly, "Towa-chan? Can we come in? I need to talk to you…" There seemed to be more that she wanted to say, but not in front of Riku, the maid nodded, allowing them in. The brunette looked confused at this, and entered slowly, and then Towa led the redhead over to another room, where the rest of the Niwa's were located.

"Akane!" gasped Emiko, looking pale and the girl winced. She looked like she hadn't slept for ages… "Have you… my son…"

A quick nod was all that was needed to confirm her fears and/or hopes, "One more try is all we can take. Trial and error can't really be put into practice here. Next time I might not be able to make it, so… you know?" She lightly tapped her arm and winced, but didn't say anything else about it. "Hiwatari-kun's coming at five, so I was wondering… do you have…" she listed a number of items for a ritual, and Kosuke left to get them… wherever they were.

"Ah… ma'am, Riku Harada is here too," The symbol of Eternity pointed out to a relieved Emiko.

"What?"

"She's worried about what happened to Daisuke."

"… What are we going to tell her!"

Watching the two, Akane nodded slightly, "Ah… I expected it as much."

The two turned, "What are you talking about?"

The girl merely smiled, "You'll see… soon…"

---

And that's the end of the chap. What happens? Er… something.

Miko102: You actually liked it? o.O Well, I guess it's cause of you I updated… so yeah! Hope you enjoyed it! (If you read it, that is. Or… well, thanks a lot :D It means a lot to me.)


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